7 Minutes In Heaven
by LaueHime
Summary: nobody believed him. he opened everyone's eyes on a cruel murder. they said he was crazy. even his mom said he should go see a shrink. yet, he was right so what price is everyone willing to pay when he realizes he doesn't belong anymore. really angst.plzR
1. Sadness, pain and Vodka

**Hey everyone, I just had some ideas for new stories and I had to write them down. ****For those who read my other stories, some of them might take some time to update cuz I'm not really in the mood. I just needed something really angst to work on. **

**Be warned, this story is going to be really angst. This is about dark thoughts and moody stuff…I needed this kinda story right now. I can't seem to write anything fluffy…anyways, here's the new story.**

He sat on his bed. His mind was shut off and he stared blankly ahead of him. Nothing seemed real anymore. The man he considered like his father was gone and he knew who killed him but no one trusted him. Even his mom said that he was a little crazy and proposed him to go see a shrink.

Lucas' life had become a mess since the death of his uncle. He was with Brooke back then. That was until, of course, she broke up with him because he was too caught up with his own life and she didn't see the old Lucas anymore.

He did everything he could to get her back but to no avail. She clearly told him that she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore so he turned to Peyton. He thought they were friends until she told him how she really felt. He realized he liked her too and they got together.

He had his best friend too…at least for a while. After that night at the state championship, she just wasn't the same. She and Nathan got closer with her pregnancy and he kind of drifted away from her, from them.

Everything was doing great with Peyton until she moved back with Brooke after Derek attacked them…they became 'hoes over bros' again and Peyton spent more time with Brooke and Ian than she spent time with Lucas.

In fact, they all thought he was crazy. After he woke up from his heart attack, saying that he saw Keith, everyone started thinking that maybe he was a bit crazy. Even his mom didn't believe him and she did something even worse, she kissed Dan.

When Lucas walked in his bedroom that morning, he found the murderer of his dad kissing his mother and that, he didn't take it. Karen yelled at him when he said Dan was the one who killed Keith. Lucas knew it was the truth though…but how could he bring everyone to believe him?

There he sat. In his bedroom, just after his mom left…she said she was worried about him. _What bullshit!_ She just innocently hugged him and told him she wanted him to talk to her. That he exactly what he did and for what? She told him to go see a shrink. A fucking shrink.

She just left and already, he felt the nonsense of it all. His life, the lies, the broken hearts club, the pain…When Peyton's mom died, he tried to do anything for her but he didn't know how this could hurt. He had never imagined the pain it caused until the man he loved most was taken away from him, forever.

He wiped his eyes to keep back the tears that were threatening to fall at any seconds. He was alone. He was sad. He was a mess. A real train wreck. What could he possibly think of doing in these conditions? Go out. Clear hi mind and blow some steam.

Lucas grabbed the car keys on the night stand and left his house. He didn't leave anything for his mom. Neither a note nor a message. Actually, he didn't really want her to know where he was going in case he wasn't coming back. He hopped in his car and drove towards the only place he could think of, _Tric._

The music was blasting from the speakers and Lucas combed the crowed to get to the bar. The tall woman behind it automatically recognized him and offered him his first drink _it's on me_, she said. She sat across from him and stared at him for a second.

'Last time I saw you, you looked happier than that' she said.

'Not really hard…' he said emotionless.

'Seriously, what's wrong with you?' she asked.

'Honestly, everyone thinks I'm crazy' he replied, not much more emotion in his cold voice.

She felt a stab of sympathy and offered him a comforting smile. He didn't even see it with his head low and his gaze fixed on nothing. She took out a few bottles and made a special drink with them.

'Here' she said, 'that's my _homemade_ drink. It always makes me feel better when I'm blue…'

He mumbled a soft _thank you_ and took the drink. He lifted the glass to his lips and drank the content f the glass in a few seconds. One shot and it was all gone.

Lucas shook his head and swallowed the taste of the strong cocktail the barmaid given him. Just then, he started feeling the effect of it as his head started feeling pretty light. He let out a nervous laugh and stood, searching for his phone in his jeans pocket.

'Be right back' he said as he went outside to get a better signal. He really felt alone and with the drinks he just had, he wasn't sure if he would be able to drive his ass home. He searched his friends list for someone trust worthy. He picked a number and pressed speed dial.

It rang a few times before a giggling voice answered the call.

'Hello?'

'Hey man, it's Luke…'

'O, hi man.' Nathan said while Haley was staring at him with craving eyes. The phone call had interrupted her tickling session with Nathan.

'Hey…uh I was wondering if you were busy at the moment'

'Yeah, actually I am'

'Sorry to be bothering you…'

'Yeah…Wait a sec, no Hales, it won't be long, so what's up?' Nathan asked speaking with Haley at the same time and not listening to Lucas at all.

'I'm really not feeling good, Nate…actually I'm kinda depressed right now and worried that I'll do something stupid…' Lucas replied with total honesty.

'Stop it Hales…uh man, that's great! Well keep it this way. I gotta go. See ya', Nathan hung up before Lucas could say anything more.

Lucas stared at the phone for one more second. His eyes were wide and he was startled with how much people really didn't care about him. Even his mom and his dad hated him. Now there was also his brother and best friend that sure as hell didn't want him.

Lucas walked back to the bar where the barmaid was surprised to see him.

'Hey, Luke. Didn't think I'd see you back around' she said.

'Might see me for a while…give me something strong…' he said.

She frowned but didn't had anything has she poured him a glass of one of the bottles Lucas had been staring at all night. He thanked her with a nod and finished the glass in one swallow.

'That was good! Can I get the bottle?'

'Luke…'

'Please'

'Your mom would fire me if she knew that I gave you so much'

'Don't worry, she'll never know!' Lucas promised.

She nodded and subtly wrapped the bottle in a brown paper bag and handed it to him. Lucas smiled and threw a fifty on the counter before he walked out of the club with the bottle.

He walked down in the parking lot when he crossed Brooke, hanging out with some friends. She barely showed interest in him it just looked like she had nothing better to do when she stopped him for a quick talk.

'Hey, Luke!' she exclaimed.

'Hi Brooke…' he said totally motionless but a little out of balance.

'What are you doing here?'

'Uh…that's my mom's club. What are you doing here?'

'Hanging out with some friends!' she giggled motioning to the girls with her.

She noticed the coldness in his eyes. The pain and the sadness in his eyes is what shocked her the most. He seemed totally out of it. He was nothing like the Lucas she knew. The tall blonde standing in front of her was just the shadow of what she once knew as Lucas. It almost broke her heart to be forced to search for that little sparkle that was always shining whenever she was looking through his baby blue eyes. Tonight, Lucas Scott was the shadow of his own self. An empty shell. An young body with an old soul, the one that suffered.

'Look, Peyton told me about this morning' she said with a sad smile.

'That's great'

'Lucas, I'm sorry she broke up with you' she said.

'Really, you are'

'Listen, you're my friend and I do care about you. Are you sure you're okay?'

Before he could answer anything, the girls called Brooke name in laughter and giggles. She spun around and saw all their waving towards her. They called her name over and over again. She rolled her eyes and said a quick 'I gotta go' to Lucas and ran toward her friends where she laughed and started back into the party.

Just like the others, she didn't care. She didn't care about Lucas and about nobody else than herself. Peyton didn't care either. She called him in the morning and told him that she was really in love with him but he was not the same anymore. She said that they barely talked anymore and that every time they did, he seemed so distant. She simply said that if he didn't want to open up to her, there was nothing else she could do and she was tired of that situation.

So that was it. She left him. When he needed her the most, she ditched him. _How ironic_, he thought. At least if I die now, nobody will care about it. Nobody' gonna miss me he thought as he hopped in his car and started it.

He drove for a moment, not really knowing where he was heading. The only thing he knew is that it was too much for him to take. All of this was just…too much and he wanted so bad to just escape it. His life, his problems, everyone that won't seem to just trust him and all the lies and the pain…

He finally drove home and directly went in the bathroom. He opened the pharmacy and searched for anything he could find that would be useful. He found some Advil, toothpaste and anything other that you could need n a bathroom. That wasn't what he was looking for though so he went to his mom's stuff when he remembered that she had buy some antidepressant to get over Keith's death.

He searched for a while until he found the little orange bottle he had been looking for. He clenched his fist around the little bottle and left the house with it. He planned to be ready when he would end all the pain, when he would end his life…

As he drove out of Tree Hill, the pain grew bigger and formed a lump in the pit of his sore stomach. He drove all night until the pain grew unbearable and he had to stop on the side of the road. Tears were falling from his eyes and the lump went into his throat. It hurt so much that he couldn't even breathe. It felt like wearing a too tight shirt or being stuck in a confined space.

Lucas wiped his eyes and relaxed his head on the wheel. He was just so exhausted and he couldn't think of anything anymore. He had to change his mind so he took an album out without really looking and he put it in the CD player. As he relaxed, he listened deeply to the lyrics and his heart became too heavy to carry on, feeling as if it was breaking his back.

He felt empty. Like a shell that had her pearl stolen or an empty space that should've filled with love. The love of the people he cared about but it felt like nobody loved him. Nobody trusted him when he knew just so well that he was right. He decided to call his mom.

'Hello?'

'Mom, it's me'

'Lucas, hi' she said awkwardly.

'You ok?'

'Not really honey'

'Why?'

'I just feel bad for Dan. You know he's done everything since Keith is gone and the only way you found to thank him was to accuse him of murder!'

'Mom, he did it!'

'No Lucas, you're wrong! Dan loved his brother and this girl you saw is just a joke. It's just a trick your mind is playing you, that's why I'm getting you to a counsellor'

'Mom, I'm not crazy! I really saw it!' he cried.

'LUCAS, STOP IT! YOU'RE BECOMING INSANE! You're going to see someone whether you like it or not!'

'I won't…if you make me go, I'm leaving!' he threatened, hoping she'd care enough.

'Then leave! I'm tired of your sick twisted game! You wanna leave, then go!' she spat in the phone.

Silence…

'Fine..' Lucas whispered then the line went dead. Karen angrily hung up and blew some steam off. Dan went by behind as she rubbed her forehead, tears stinging in her eyes. He smiled sadly and wrapped her in a hug.

In another house in Tree Hill, two young love birds were just done having some great fun. Haley rolled on the side of the bed and watched Nathan with wide eyes. He looked at her and they started laughing.

'That was great!' he said.

She nodded with a wide smile and laughed. 'So, about that phone call Lucas gave you…what did he want?'

'I don't know' he said.

'He called you and you didn't even ask him what was up?'

'We were busy'

'You should've asked him! Peyton dumped him this morning. He must be a total wreck!' she said now staring at Nathan with anger and fear in her eyes. She picked the phone back, determined to know what was wrong with Lucas for him to call. A feminine voice told Haley

That the phone of the customer she was trying to join was turned off.

Haley grew worried. Lucas never closed his phone. Even at three in the morning, she could still call him and confide in and he would listen or just tell her to go back asleep as well. The point is that Lucas never closed his cell phone in case someone needed him or anything bad could happen and he wanted to be the first to know.

She dropped the phone on the bed with a worried look in his eyes. Nathan stared at her and shrugged.

'So?'

'His cell phone's off'

'And??'

'Lucas' cell phone is always on' she said.

'You're probably over reacting. I'm sure Lucas is fine'

Lucas was still sitting in his car and the tears were freely falling from his eyes. The pain was eating him from the inside. It all burned so bad. He had to stop it. It had to make it go away. He just wished his head could just shut off and he would stop thinking about all the crap that happened in his life.

Pain.

Anger.

Pain.

Lucas grabbed the bottle he had borrowed to his mom and stared at the little white pills for a second before he finally grabbed the only bottle of liquid he had, the bottle of vodka. He put all the pills in his mouth and washed them down with a half bottle of vodka.

The effect was immediate. He felt light. He was floating over his problems. Then his head became heavy and before he even noticed it, he had started driving again and he was heading somewhere while the stereo blasted in his ears.

_I'm sleeping my way out of this one  
With anyone who will lie down  
I'll be stuck fixated on one star  
When the world is crashing down _

I keep telling myself  
I keep telling myself  
I'm not the desperate type  
But you've got me looking in through blinds  
I keep telling myself  
I keep telling myself  
I'm not the desperate type

Sitting out dances on the wall  
Trying to forget everything that isn't you  
I'm not going home alone  
Cause I don't do too well  
Sitting out dances on the wall  
Trying to forget everything that isn't you  
I'm not going home alone  
Cause I don't do too well on my own

The only thing worse than not knowing  
Is you thinking that I don't know  
I'm having another episode  
I just need a stronger dose 

**--**

**So that was it for the first chapter guys. Let me know what you thought. I know, pretty harsh story but I feel outta fluffy stuff. Please review. **


	2. Overdose of Pain

_A/N : aww thank you guys for the sweet reviews and I'm sorry I had you waiting so long but it's over now. Here's the update. Enjoy!_

--

The car stopped in the parking of the first store he spotted. Lucas took the keys out the ignition and relaxed for a second. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face and he felt sore and sick. It was like everything was just going to blow and he was just going to fall and never get back up.

He couldn't remember the reason why he was supposed to feel pain because the only thing he felt now was the sickness of everything he washed down a few minutes ago. He had on a black hoodie which he popped the hood over his head and opened the door.

He almost lost balance but he had to get out. He had to clear up his thoughts and the only way he could do that was to go outside and take in some deep breaths of fresh air. He tried standing straight and breathing but he was suffocating. The pain was coming again and he remembered his mom yelling at him, Nathan not even bothering, and Dan…Dan killed the man he loved most and nobody believed him when he said it.

The best way he thought he could try to clear his mind was to go inside the store and take a walk inside without no one noticing him. He made his way over the big store, not to good on his legs and showing a poor equilibrium. The doors slid open and he walked in, leaning over the door to stay straight. His stomach started to yelp in pain and he bent frontward to stop it.

Before he would let anyone notice his pain, he straightened up and walked inside the store. The first aisle was the movie one. He checked a few titles just for fun. Every category was separated by labels. _Children, comedy, horror, suspense,_ he checked them all and even spotted a few ones he liked much. His hood always on, a salesman spotted him he thought he was going to steal something by the look of him. He didn't say anything though, just waited to see how it was going to end.

Lucas checked the titles again then his eyes widened. He had found the classic movies section and his eyes stopped on a movie that brought some memories back to his mind. He started shaking and the pain in his stomach seemed to spread in his whole body. He took the DVD box in his hands and stared at the back pocket. The little images brought flashes to his mind.

Haley lying on the ground, his heart jumping in his throat till he couldn't feel the beat of it anymore, the hospital, the annoying beeps of the machines, Keith…Keith…he was dead. Killed. Taken away from him. Every part of his body ached. He was sweating and his face was as white as a ghost except for the circles around his eyes. Deep and dark, he looked like a ghost.

He placed _It's a wonderful life_ back on the support and ran out before anyone could stop him. Holding onto his throbbing stomach. He felt a bad taste in his mouth. The taste of death but surprisingly, he wasn't scared. It was like he was waiting for it and knew it was gonna come. Like he planned it.

He stopped in the parking, spotted his car and hopped in the back seat. It hurt. Everything hurt and he was barely hanging on the lines of consciousness. He was so hot. The sweat was rolling down is brow and back and he placed himself to be a little more comfortable. The top of the car was spinning around his eyes as white spots started blurring his vision. The nausea came back and he breathed deeply. There was no more saliva in his mouth. His eyes were spinning in their sockets and his whole body was shaking. He shivered as the warmth he felt merely seconds ago changed for a terrible coldness that slowly closed his eyes. They rolled back into his head and he was gone from the surface of the conscious land.

Haley started to panic after Nathan said she was over reacting. She just knew something was up and she wasn't crazy. The feeling that something happened to her best friend just made everything feel so wrong and she knew, deep down that she hadn't took good care of her friend lately. After the Dante thing and her accident, she just been so distant and even if she knew Lucas wouldn't be mad at her for that, it still felt terribly wrong to her. She and Nathan had been so concerned about their baby that they forgot about Lucas and only took care of each other.

The prove her point, she tried thinking of the last real conversation she had with Lucas but her mind kept running and running and nothing came up. Of course, she had seen the difference in him those last days. He was distant and could disappear without anyone knowing where he was and when he was coming back. Her eyes watered for a second and Nathan stared at her.

'What?' he asked.

'I think something happened' she simply replied.

He seemed to search his words for a second 'What do you mean?'

'Lucas…something is really wrong, I feel it!'

'Haley, Lucas is fine. I know him, he's fine'

'You don't. We don't. We don't know him anymore because we've been so selfish that we took care only of each other but how well do you know Lucas lately? Do you know what he's up to?', her eyes watered again as she realized she didn't have the answers herself.

'I think your making a big deal over nothing' Nathan said, his tone changed in a softer one.

'Really?! You don't think we neglected him?'

'How can you say that, Hales?!'

'You deny it but you know it's true. Let me ask you something: when he had his heart attack and I was hit, you stood by me, right. Now tell me this, when did you tell him you were glad he's okay? After he woke up or after he left the hospital?' she spat.

Nathan knew it was true and he didn't have to say it to make Haley's point.

'See, that's what I thought!' she said.

'Haley, you're my wife! I was where I was supposed to!'

'And he's your brother…face it' she snapped.

Nathan felt the guilt coming with Haley's words. She was right. She was so right that it felt righter than right itself. They were wrong. They neglected him and now his cell phone was shut and no one seen him since a few days ago. Worry took his place in the pit of his stomach as the smile he held before erased from his face to let the worry wash over. His eyes widened and his mouth was barely opened, dry. He was running out of words to say so instead he just stared down than back up at Haley.

She was crying now. The warm tears were falling from her bright eyes and it brought only pain. Both felt the sorrow of their acts. How could they have done that to the one person that was constantly there for them, no matter what. They took him for granted long enough and as sure as 1+12 can be, Nathan decided that this moment would be the term of it. As soon as they would leave this house to be seeking for their friend, it would be over. They would care about him from now on the very last of his breaths, hoping this wouldn't be too soon.

Their eyes said everything their mouths could not formulate and as quickly as it took to get from one foot to another, they were down the house and Lucas could be prepared to be sought until he was found. Haley had the reflex to call Karen first. The woman was crying and Haley needed to ask her to calm down and start her story again. He heart squeezed in pain and she felt a stab of sympathy for the guy she had the shame to call 'her best friend'.

That shame wasn't for Lucas but for Haley. After her realizations, she knew he didn't deserve a friend like her. He deserved better. She hung up and quickly explained the situation to Nathan.

'Luke left earlier. His mom and he had a huge fight. He called her earlier and she just lost it and passed her nerves on him. She didn't mean it but now she's scared because of all the things she said' she explained. Nathan nodded his head and they were gone.

First thing they thought of, calling some friends. Haley called Peyton to see if he went there and Nathan dialed Brooke's number. Haley hung up first and shook her head no.

'She said that they broke up and she didn't see Lucas since. She even had the guts to ask me why I was calling!' Haley said in surprise with a bit of disgust.

'Wow…well, I called Brooke and she said she saw him tonight at Tric. She said he looked horrible and he was quite desperate. His eyes just told her everything and he seemed dead from inside…well that's what she said'

'Which is not a good thing'

'She said she doesn't know really where he went because she was arriving when he left'

'Well, at least we know which road he took because I don't know for you but since there's only two roads and that one leads to Tree Hill and the other one leads out, I guess he didn't really want to go back here, where all his problems began' Haley pointed out.

Nathan nodded and thought of it. 'We'll go and see if we catch up with him'

They both agreed on that and hoped into their car. The drive out of town was deadly quiet. None of the two worried face dared to say a thing in fear of breaking the almost comfortable silence. The pressure filled the air and it was so thick that Haley felt like suffocating. She opened her window and took in a few deep breaths. It helped her breathing though the knot in her stomach was still strong and steady.

Nathan slid his hand toward Haley's and grabbed it to let her know he was there. She smiled and no words could've let her know better than the look he gave her.

'It's gonna be okay' he said.

She put on a sad smile and stared in front of her while they were entering a store filled place. Since she had nothing better to do to calm herself than to look out, she stared at the parking lots and the cars filling them. She enjoyed watching all the different cars. One in particular caught her eye. It was a red mustang. Her heart skipped a beat.

'Nathan, I saw his car'

'What?'

'In the lot over there, you have to go back!'

He nodded and waited to reach the corner before he made a tight U-turn. She pointed the lot with her finger and he followed it. They got into the parking lot and drove in the alley where Lucas' car was parked. Haley saw it was empty and turned to Nathan.

'He's shopping. You think we should go in?' she asked.

'No. Let him shop. We'll wait outside and see if everything's fine. Maybe he just needs some time'

Her eyes let him know she was totally up with that supposition but she couldn't do anything else then accept the fact that she didn't know what was up so she had to deal with it. Nathan parked his car no so far to where Lucas' mustang was and they waited and waited till he came out. He never did though.

Suddenly, a tall guy with a hood got out the store and walked over to where the mustang was parked. Nathan pointed him and Haley felt the warmth of reassurance in her whole body. They watched the guy and when he was really close to the car, a girl came by behind and touched the guy's shoulder. She turned around to see the girl smile then they kissed.

'I didn't know he had a new girlfriend' Haley said.

Like if they heard her, the girl pushed the hood back and they saw a tuft of dark black hairs. It wasn't Lucas. The happy couple walked hand in hand passed Lucas' car and unlocked the one next to it, leaving an empty space when they left. They both faced the truth and waited again to see if someone would come out of the store. Lucas didn't though. They never saw him and Haley started to worry even more.

Without saying a word, she opened the door and slammed it shut before running over to the red car. There was an empty bottle of vodka on the floor of the passenger side. She looked behind and saw her friend, face down, lying in the back seat. It was weird. Was he sleeping there or was it something more?

Nathan got to Haley now and sent her a questioning gaze. She just motioned the car and he saw his brother in the back seat.

'What is he doing there?' Nathan asked.

'I don't know but it doesn't feel right. There's a bottle of vodka here' she said.

'Where did he get that?'

'Don't you think it's an easy thing when your mom owns a bar?' she snapped coldly.

Nathan tried the front door but it was locked. Haley tried on her side to find it locked as well. She shrugged and knocked on the window. They didn't get any answer from the inside. Lucas didn't even flinch. Haley got really worried now. Nathan got his cell phone out and opened it to get some light.

Something shined in the corner of his eye. He bent down to find a key set, Lucas' key set. He got back up with the keys and stared at Haley for a second. This was really weird. Lucas was inside and his keys were outside, on the asphalt. He thought maybe they just fell and unlocked the front door before throwing the keys over the car to Haley who grabbed them and unlocked the only other door.

They got inside at the same time and pulled the front seats to get in the back of the car. Haley took Lucas' face up while Nathan shined the inside of the car with his cell phone. It's only at this right moment that Haley noticed his face. He was paler than a ghost and the deep circles under his eyes were turning a mix of orange and purple. His brow was covered in sweat and he was lying still, unmoving.

'Nathan…' her whispering voice cracked. The tears fell as fast as a fall in the water and drowned her face. Nathan stared at the sight in front him and it frightened him to ask the only question he could think of now.

'Is…is he…okay?'

'Nathan...I think he's dead…'

**Iii cliffy ending. Sorry, I can't help it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and you don't hate me too much for the wait. I also hope you stick with the story and you guys like it. **

**It's not the way to act though. Just telling you that I'm not writing this story for you to realize that this is what you need to do! Don't follow this model, do the opposite. If that can help, talk to someone or write a diary. It will keep you from having too dark thoughts. **

**I know how it feels good to talk so I anyone of you feels like talking to someone, I'm all ears. If you don't want to talk to someone you don't know, talk to someone you trust but don't do like Lucas ok. This is the wrong way. **

**I had to say that to you guys. Other than that, let me know what you thought and I promise it won't be so long between the updates.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Reassuring Lights in the Dark of Night

**A/N : Aww thank you guys so much for the really amazing reviews. ****I'm glad you guys like it so far. I was scared it was going to be too angst but I'm glad some of you told me you were in the mood for that. Don't take example on my fiction though. This is not the right way…anyways, here's the update. **

**XxXxXxXxX**

Haley was trembling uncontrollably, shaking her best friend's limp body. The sight was frightening. He was chalky white with deep and dark circles around his eyes. His skin was deathly cold despite the fact that he was sweating a lot. Nathan was barely making out what Haley had just said.

'What?'

'I think he's dead, Nathan. He's not breathing!' she cried then placed her fingers on his neck. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. 'Wait, he's got the weakest pulse ever but he's still hanging on' she said. Multiple tears were falling from her eyes and she couldn't stop them. Instead, she just let them fall, soaking her broken soul. Nathan made a quick move to get his cell phone.

'I'm calling 9-1-1, just stay with him!' he exclaimed. The brunette got out of the car and impatiently waited for someone to pick up the phone on the receiving end. Haley just stayed with Lucas, soothing his hairs and repeating the same words more to convince herself than it was meant for Lucas. _It's gonna be okay buddy, just hang on and it will all be okay. _She was rocking him like a mother rocks her baby.

Nathan poked his head through the car door. 'How is he?'

'Not better. He's not waking up and he's getting colder'

'Got an idea of what happened?'

Haley shook her head. Her eyes then lingered on something on the floor. She had seen the alcohol bottle before but she hadn't noticed the other bottle right next to it. It was way smaller and orange. She just knew too well what it was…

'Nathan…' she whispered, her voice broke. Nathan turned his eyes to the floor of the passenger side and saw the orange pill bottle Haley had been staring at. His face dropped as he grabbed the container.

'Antidepressants…' he read out loud. Haley's heart squeezed in her chest like when you squeeze a sponge and it becomes all dry. She felt so bad for everything that was happening. This wasn't an accident, she knew it. Lucas took these pills on purpose and he knew what he was doing when he gulped down the whole bottle of alcohol. He wanted it.

Nathan felt like a real jerk. His own brother was trying to commit suicide and if the ambulance he called wasn't there soon, he might just succeed. How could you wish to die? How could you be so depressed that at a point you considered that the only point of escaping the pain was to take away the most important thing in life, life itself? It felt a little too overwhelming for Nathan.

Yes, he was wondering what Lucas was thinking about but it's just then that he realized he didn't know him anymore. He had let him down to take care of Haley and their baby. Lucas was still his brother though and now he was dying and there's nothing more Nathan could do to help him.

He looked at his brother once again. He really looked dead. Well, it was only a matter of time before the look was actually reality. Tears of anger were threatening to fall. How could he have been so selfish? It was his fault Lucas almost died of a heart attack. Haley was crying even more now.

'Nathan, we gotta do something, he's still not breathing!'

'I could do…', he didn't have the chance to finish what he was going to say because he heard the sirens, cutting through the tick atmosphere of this cold night. The pressure Nathan was holding on his back was loosening a little and he started feeling a bit better because he knew now that they were here to help and save his brother.

The EMS car stopped in the parking lot and the paramedics rushed out. Nathan was already on his feet and waving them to come over. A medic pushed Haley aside when they got to Lucas. He yelled some incomprehensible medical jargon to his friend. Haley could only watch in horror as they got Lucas out of the car's backseat. They wheeled him away while Haley buried her face in Nathan's arms.

She whispered softly 'I think I'll go along with him'

Nathan hugged her and kissed her hairs. 'I love you. Now go'

She smiled sadly and hopped in the back of the ambulance where Lucas' stretcher was already loaded. They closed the back doors and as soon as they came, they were gone. She watched them move everything carefully.

On his side, Nathan stayed in the parking lot for a moment. He watched the ambulance and his wife drive away. The cold wind it is face then it was something else. A droplet. The rain started softly then it became heavier, mixing itself with the tears on the younger Scott's face. From there, no one could tell he was crying over his brother…

A strident beep screeched Haley's ears. 'I've got no pulse' one yelled. They started compression. 'Heartbreak's dropping, charge the paddles!' another yelled. Haley was horrified as they pressed the paddles that sent electricity through all his body. He line was rising back, uncertain and unsteady but at least he was alive. The numbers shifted.

'Hurry up! It's a matter of time before he's crashing again!'

Soon enough, they were there and Lucas was wheeled away from Haley. She was only left there, in the rain. Weather was perfectly fitting her present mood. This was going to be a long night and she was already exhausted. All this stress wasn't good on the baby and she had to sit down for a second feeling her leg sting a little.

Nathan came down to the hospital a little while later. He found Haley sitting in a chair and staring at a couple on the other side of the room.

'What are you looking at?' Nathan asked.

'She just found out she was pregnant and they always though she was sterile' she answered, not taking her eyes away from the happy couple that was in the opposite corner. Nathan sighed.

'Got any word on Lucas?'

'No. not since they told me he was getting his stomach pumped out. It'll be a little long before they come back so you can go home and sleep if you want' she said.

'I don't want to leave you two here. Mind if I stay?'

'Of course not' she said, trying her hardest to offer him a smile. It was weak and turned out more into a grimace but she couldn't do better for now. Her best friend was in trouble and she didn't like the sound of it.

'Anything happened?', Nathan broke the silence. Haley lowered her head and stared at her thumb.

'He was pretty much dying when he got here…I'm scared he's not gonna make it' she cried.

'Hales, you know Lucas. He'll be ok'

'That's where you're wrong. I don' know him anymore. How horrible am I to not have realized he wanted to die?!', she started heaving and sobbing like a baby even though she tried to control her feelings. She just wanted to catch a corner and roll herself into a ball then whine like a little girl until it would all go away but she couldn't. She had to be strong for her friends.

'He's not gonna die…' Nathan simply replied.

'They said he might not make it…thought you might wanna know' she spat. Her anger took over and she left Nathan there, dumbfounded while she went outside to get some fresh air.

It took a second for Nathan to realize what had happened. He went after her and waited, fixated on her back.

'I'm sorry' he whispered.

'Me too…' she replied quietly.

He wrapped her in his arms while she cried silently.

She sighed and thought for a second 'You think we should tell the others?'

'We should call at least Karen' Nathan proposed. 'I'll do it if you want. You just call Brooke and Peyton' he added.

Haley nodded and let Nathan go for a second. He grabbed his cell phone and made her a quick nod before he dialled Lucas' mom number. It took a while before the answer came. A low, raspy voice came out of the phone like Karen had been crying for hours.

'Hello?' her tired voice said.

'Karen, it's Nathan'

'Nathan…hi!'

'Hey, look I got something to tell you but I don't feel like I should do it over the phone' he said trying to stay as calm as possible even though he wanted to burst out in anger and yell at Karen for letting Lucas go out this late and try to kill himself.

'Uh, okay. What is this about? Oh, have you seen Lucas? I'm worried about him. He called me earlier and I was a little on the nerves. I went hard on him, is he ok?'

Nathan felt a stab of sympathy for his brother. God it might've been hard on him. First, Peyton ended their relationship then Karen yelled at him and himself and Haley stopped caring about him since Haley learned that she was pregnant. He didn't realize he had let the silence fall between Karen and he. He started stuttering as well.

'Uh…not…not really. That's want I uh I wanted to talk to you about. Uh Haley and I kinda found him…look I want to this in person, can you get to the hospital, I'll tell you there'

'Hospital?' Karen's voice cracked.

'Did anything happen to Lucas? Did anything happen to my baby? Oh please Nathan, tell me he's okay!' she cried.

'I don't know, honestly. Can you come down to the memorial hospital? I'll tell you when you're here'

'Sure…uh I'm on my way'

It was deathly silent then the line went dead. Nathan braced himself for the hardest thing of it all, telling Karen.

--

**Dun dun dun dun. ****I hope you guys still like it so far. Don't forget to send me a review. Next chapter, Brooke and Peyton learn about what happened to Lucas and well, you'll see if he made it or not. Please tell me what you thought. **

**TBC.**


	4. I'm Dying for Your Attention

_Thanks for the great reviews. Enjoy the new chapter!_

Nathan paced back and fourth in the lobby. Haley was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair with her arms and legs crossed. She was getting dizzy at Nathan's pacing. He was so nervous that he didn't realize the look she was sending him. The sliding doors opened on a pale figure. Nathan stopped dead in his track. Karen.

Haley took two seconds to get up and ran over her best friend's mom. They shared a hug and Karen was already in tears. Nathan joined them as well.

"Hey, Karen"

"Oh my god, Nathan! What happened?" she cried.

Nathan breathed and searched his words. "We…we found him…Haley saw his car and, and we found him…we thought…he looked dead and…" Nathan couldn't say it. Haley shook her head.

"He overdosed on some pills and washed them down with vodka…" Haley explained. Just saying it made it feel real now and the tears came back into her eyes. Karen was in shock. Her upper lip was trembling and the tears were already making their way down. She shook her head.

"How could he? Why?" she started crying. Haley hugged her. "I'll go call Brooke and tell her to call Peyton", Haley announced. In fact, she wasn't in the mood to call Peyton and face her emotions so she thought she'd tell Brooke and ask her to call her friend afterwards.

Haley let Nathan take care of Karen. She walked out of the hospital and grabbed her cell phone. She flipped through her contacts and pressed the speed dial button to call Brooke. It took a while for Brooke to answer. Well, since it was almost 2 am, Haley figured it would be a bit hard to join her friend even though she was partying that night.

After a while, a voice came out of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Brooke! It's Haley"

"Hi, Hales! What's up?"

"Thanks for your information about Lucas"

"You found him?"

"We did…" Haley said in a low voice. Brooke could feel the change of mood in her friend's voice.

"Is something wrong?" Brooke asked immediately sensing that something was up.

"Yeah…Lucas was pretty bad when we found him" Haley said in an almost inaudible voice.

"As long as he wasn't dead" Brooke joked. She waited but no more sounds could be heard from Haley.

"Hales? Haley? He's not dead, right?", Brooke was getting worried now.

"No, no. well I hope not"

"Haley, what happened?"

"Lucas…overdosed…" she said after a while.

"He WHAT?"

"We found him half dead plus a bottle of vodka and an empty pill container"

Brooke was shocked at the newest revelation. For a brief moment, she ran out of words. Brooke Davis ran out of words. Who thought that could happen one day? Haley sniffled.

"You still there?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Brooke stuttered clumsily. "He's gonna be okay, right?" she asked.

"I hope so" Haley replied. "Can you call Peyton and tell her, please?"

Brooke nodded. "Sure. Uh, I'll call her. When can I come down to the hospital?"

"As soon as you can" Haley answered.

"Ok. Thank you for calling me, Haley. I appreciate it"

Haley smiled in her tears. "No problem. Just come soon. I really need a friend right now"

Brooke let out a nervous giggle. "Ok. See ya soon"

"See ya" Haley said. She then hung up and breathed deeply, inhaling the cold breeze as it filled her lungs. She had done her work now and she could go back with Karen and wait for some words on Lucas.

--

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _A load growl filled the air as an awakened and frustrated girl searched her desk for her cell phone. Who could be calling her this early? Didn't people sleep anymore? Peyton pulled the little thread that was dangling from her lamp. Her room lit up and she found her phone easily. The ID said _Brooke cell_. Peyton sighed angrily and pressed the talk button with such a hit that if the phone were alive it would've hurt it.

"Brooke, you gotta have a damn good reason to wake me this early!" she spat.

"Lucas…", was all she said.

"Goddamnit Brooke! You know I broke up with Lucas! I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore so if you're calling me to convince me to get him back, forget it. We're over! I don't want to see him again" she snapped.

"He might die…"

"I don't care! I just don't…wait, what?"

Brooke started whining so Peyton had to concentrate to understand what she was saying.

"Haley just called me and said that he tried killing himself. I'm on my way over there but gee Peyt! How can you care less! Whatever, if he doesn't make it I hope you'll be happy with yourself!" Brooke spat.

"I'm sorry…" Peyton simply replied.

"Whatever…we'll see if I can see you at the hospital. Bye Peyton"

If the line hadn't died right there, Peyton would've said more but now she couldn't and she probably wouldn't. Her mind was like a roller coaster now and her thoughts were just pilling up and messing with her head. She was trying to think about anything she could say but nothing came. Lucas. The man she loved and broken up with the day before had made an attempt of killing himself. The Lucas she knew had given up on himself. No. the Lucas she knew wasn't like this. Then who was it? She realized she didn't know Lucas anymore. Nobody knew him anymore. He was a stranger to everyone. Out of the way for days and now he was coming back only to show a darker and messier personality.

Her eyes started feeling wet and she soon realized her face was soaked in tears. "_Oh my god, what the hell happened to us?_"

--

Haley, Nathan and Karen were all sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Haley was moving and changing position constantly.

"Is there a thorn on your chair?" Nathan asked Haley.

She put on an uncertain smile. It looked more of a grimace then she had expected it.

"I'm just wondering why they can't put some comfortable chairs in the waiting rooms. I mean, don't they know how much these things are uncomfortable. It's almost unbearable!" she complained. Karen didn't find it in her, the strength to laugh. Nathan tried smiling but failed as well.

The sliding doors opened again to reveal a shocked and worried Brooke. Haley stood as soon as she saw her friend and almost ran to hug her.

"How he is?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know. They didn't tell us anything yet!" Haley cried.

As soon as she said this, a man in white lab coat walked inside the room. "Family of Lucas Scott?" he asked. Karen seemed to snap back into reality. She stood in front of the man. "That's us" she said.

The man nodded. "Hi. I'm Dr. Beckett, Lucas' doctor. Could we go somewhere else to talk about it? I feel like we need calm and quietness to discuss this." He said.

"Sure" Karen answered.

"Fine. Let's go to my office then"

He led the four worried person to a small and not really decorated office. There were only a few pictures on the desk, next to the computer. Karen seated herself as did the three teenagers.

"How is he?" she asked suddenly.

"Well," the doctor said, taking a seat in front of her "Mr. Scott gave us some pretty shaky minutes out there. As we told the lady over there, we had to pump his stomach out to get all the alcohol and toxins he took. Luckily, it doesn't seem like the overdose of meds he took infected his blood but we will need to watch him for a while and run a few more tests. He's fine now, though he's sleeping. Just let him rest a lot" he said.

Karen breathed deeply. "That's all?"

"Well, I suggest you get him psychological help…as a doctor I've seen some cases like this. Kids trying to forget about the pain by overdosing on some random pills they found in their parent's cabinet. The best thing you can do now is give him some help. I'm not talking about more attention or more kisses. I'm talking about serious procedure. I can give you the name of some good psychologist. Get him to talk when he's better. I think whether it was accidental or not, there wasn't much more time before he succeeded" the doctor explained.

Karen felt like crying right there but she knew she couldn't. She had to be strong for her son and his friends as well. The information was slowly sinking into the four people's head when Haley spoke out of nowhere. "When can we see him?"

Dr. Beckett smiled. "When you're ready. He's in room 124. He's asleep now but when you'll see him awake, make sure to tell him to rest at first. He might feel a little sore. That's normal.", he smiled. Everyone nodded.

They got out of the office and headed toward the room 124. The door was closed. Karen walked in front of them and opened it. It was a double room. The bed in the front was empty. The one in the back was taken by a pale and sleeping blonde teenager. They walked to the foot of his bed. Lucas was sleeping. If it wasn't for the IV taped to his arm, and his pale complexion that was fitting the walls, they could have said he was only sleeping peacefully.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The doctor was right, Lucas was gonna be sleeping for a while. There was nothing else they could do except stare and hope it would all be okay. It had to be. Lucas had to be okay. They took the seats and watched him lay there and sleep. It was going to be a long night.

--

**TBC**

**Don't forget to review. I'm trying my best to update fast so I hope it's not too long. Sorry if it is…I'm trying. Stay tuned for more drama coming up!**


	5. Holding on When Giving up Seems Easier

_Thanks a lot for the amazing reviews! I love them. Enjoy this update._

--

Peyton slept so badly that night. In fact, you cannot really say she slept. For a good part of the time, she had been lying on her bed and tried to make sense of the call she got. It didn't work out too well though because the only thing that kept swarming her thoughts was the fact the Lucas had given up on himself…she didn't know if this was an accident or if the guy she liked really wanted this to happen but the fact was that Lucas almost died that night…

During all the time her questioning took, her eyes couldn't stay dry for a second. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run to Lucas and hug him until death did them apart…_it almost did_, she thought. She wanted to see him so badly…but she wasn't sure to be ready for this. After all, she was the one who broke his heart. Was it her fault if Lucas did it?

'Oh my god!' Peyton cried. She shook her head. She had to be strong. If she couldn't get herself back together then how could she ever go see Lucas?

Her table clock kept reminding her that this wasn't all just a dream. God she wished it had been so she would never have gotten that creepy phone call. She saw the little 5:30 flashing. Lately, her life had only been some sort of sick nightmare. She couldn't sleep. Her mind only thought about him, still.

Peyton grabbed a large and thick book. She opened it and smelled the pictures in it like if she wanted to smell Lucas again. The first page was pictures of her and Lucas at the prom they crashed in honey groove. She was there in her turquoise dress and he was holding her waist, smiling widely in his white tuxedo.

She flipped the page and saw that they were pictures of the state championship. That was the night the ravens won as state champions. As a result of it, Haley got hit by Dante and Lucas ended up having a heart attack…_Right, a happy night..,_ she thought.

She turned the other page where the pictures had now been taken during Nathan and Haley's second wedding. She smiled when she saw the pictures of her two friends. They were definitely her model couple because no matter what, they were always happy and together…something that she didn't think was too realistic for her.

She kept looking the pages of their different events. A page caught her attention. It was different then the others. Fresh tears burned the back of her eyes and filled her sockets, blurring her vision. The picture she was watching suddenly had a wet spot. Then another droplet fell from her eye and made a great puddle over Lucas' pained face. It was the picture she took with her cell phone the day he was discharged after his accident. She remembered when she went to see him and lied on bed with him. Then she said she never wanted them to be apart again and they took a picture with her cell phone.

Why did he always have to end up so bad at the second they weren't together? She had to go. She couldn't leave him.

Peyton wiped the fallen tears and grabbed her jacket. Maybe she could just slip into Lucas' hospital room.

--

Nathan had taken Brooke home to sleep a bit. On the other hand, Haley stubbornly stayed at her friend's side with Karen. They had both stayed up all night just in case he would wake up, even though the doctors said it would take a while due to all the drugs he was on. Haley heard a loud sniffle coming from Karen.

'Did you know that he was depressing?' the saddened mother asked.

'I didn't…I don't know much about him anymore and I'm so sorry about it!' she cried.

Karen tore her gaze away from the sleeping form on the bed to watch Haley breaking down next to her.

'Haley, this isn't your fault!'

'But I should have taken care of him more! I should've been there when he needed me so maybe this wouldn't have happened'

'It happened! We can't change it, it happened. If you want to be there, you can. Lucas is going to need some help and you can be his friend. I'm sure he'll enjoy having you around' Karen assured the crying teenager.

Haley nodded. 'Thanks' she whispered. There was a soft knock on the door. The girls turned to see a grieving blonde in the doorway. Haley swallowed. Karen held a look of anger toward the new person in the room.

'Am I interrupting something?' Peyton asked.

'Not really…' Haley said. The blonde nodded.

'Can I talk to you then?'

Haley nodded and stood. 'Sure. Karen, I'll be right back', she gave the older woman a smile and followed Peyton out of the room. As soon as she went through the door, her features changed, holding a meaner gaze. Peyton stopped and turned around to see the two cruel eyes staring at her.

'Look, I'm sorry!' Peyton cried.

'You should be! Why did you even let him down when he needed you the most?'

Peyton cried even more 'I didn't want to I…I just…I was pissed because he disappeared for days and he was never around and, and he never…we didn't talk anymore!' she mumbled. Hales kept staring through her eyes.

'How did you and Nathan went through everything?'

'We didn't give up on each other that easily' Haley snapped.

'Ok, ok. You can be mad at me all you want but can you at least tell me what happened?' Peyton begged.

Haley sighed in order to blow some steam off. She then took a sarcastic and irritating tone that she held like if everything she was telling wasn't serious. God she wished it wasn't…

'Well, you see Peyton, Lucas was really sad yesterday so he took off and got drunk. After that he found some pills, god knows where he found them, and he washed them down with some vodka. He drove off and let himself die in the back of his car. How bout that?' she asked angrily.

Peyton was shocked. Haley was really mad and Lucas had overdosed on some pills. Everything was just so messed up.

'Do we know on what he overdosed?' Peyton asked.

'Do you really care or you're faking it?'

'Haley, I really am sorry for what happened! I wish I could do more to prove you that I really mean it when I say that I care for Luke. Damn it! I love him! Can't you understand that?'

Haley shook her head. 'Not when you broke his heart…'. The angry girl went to walk away when Peyton caught her attention at last.

'What about you? Have you been around to know what's been on his mind lately?'

Haley turned on her heels and slapped Peyton so hard that she believed the sound went around the whole hallway. _If looks could kill, I'd be so dead…_, Peyton thought after seeing Haley's eyes.

'Don't expect me to be so kind to you, Sawyer…' she spat before going back in the room. With tears in her eyes, Peyton left the hospital without one more word.

--

It felt so good, so warm. Lucas felt like floating in a thick cushioned space and he didn't really want to pull away from it. Maybe he should try seeing what was going on around. With the biggest effort, he slowly opened his eyes and waited for the blinding light to dim a little. His eyes slowly adjusted to the scene and he found himself in a park.

He was surrounded by trees and flowers. The birds were chiming along and the butterflies were creating a wonderful contrast when the beautiful color of this warm and sunny day. The sky was same colored as the baby blues behind Lucas' heavy eyelids. The green grass was lying over the hills and farther away. The warmth was softly caressing his skin and the soft wind was patting his face with an infinite sweetness.

He took a deep and everlasting breath to catch in every nuance in the flavored atmosphere. He stared around him and onto the world he was living in. He didn't feel the pain anymore. His body stopped hurting as much as his heart did. He felt like he could stay here forever and be happy. A familiar giggle pulled him out of his reverie.

'I told you we would see each other again but I didn't think it would be so soon!'

Lucas spun around to see his uncle, shinier than ever. He smiled.

'Uncle Keith!' Lucas said. He approached him shyly and slowly.

'Come on and give the old man a hug!' Keith proposed. Lucas grinned and wrapped his arms around his uncle's shoulders. They pulled apart and Keith kept staring through Lucas' baby blues.

'What happened down there, Luke?' Keith asked seriously.

'I…I…don't really know. Everything's just messed up!'

'Is that a reason to give up on yourself like that?'

Lucas shrugged. 'I guess not but…it got too weird. Peyton just broke my heart, Nathan and Haley sure as hell don't care and my mom…she won't believe me and she stays with that asshole!' he explained.

'I know. But is suicide really your right answer?'

'What? Suicide? I never thought about killing myself!'

'Lucas…'

'That's the truth! I really wasn't trying to kill myself!'

Keith rose is hands in surrender and shrugged.

'Why is it so hard, Keith? I mean I kept having these dreams until I found who really killed you and know no one believes me! Why does it have to be so fucking hard?' Lucas cried.

Keith shook his head in comprehension. 'Hey Kiddo, I never said it was going to be easy! Life is really hard but you have to deal with it! Don't let it get the best of you!'

More tears fell from Lucas' eyes. Never had he cried that much with Keith but this time was different. This time, he really needed his uncle to be there for him when he felt like no one else was.

'But it's so hard! I'm forced to live everyday with the man who took you away from me!'

'I'm still here!'

Lucas started yelling 'Yeah! You can fucking tell me that now but back there I didn't feel like there was someone for me! my mom hates me, my girlfriend and my friends...they just hate me', Lucas was starting to mumble for himself more than to Keith and that was scaring the old man a lot. Lucas was just so depressed. He used to be so happy to be alive and now he thought everyone was against him. It really hurt to see him like this. Keith tried to hug the kid but Lucas unconsciously shoved him away.

'Lucas, they don't hate you!'

'They do! They all think I'm crazy! They left me alone…even my mom doesn't care! She let me go like she wanted it!'

Keith cupped Lucas' face in his hands in a way to stop him from fighting and to get him to listen. 'Lucas, listen to me. Listen to me because I'm not saying this again. You matter to her. You matter more to your mom than everything in this world. You matter to your friends too. Especially your friend Haley. She's lost without you. They all need you and they're just waiting for you to come around'

Lucas calmed down a bit. 'But…'

'No buts. You gotta go back!'

'What if I don't want to? I like it here! I can be with you. I don't want to go back, please Keith don't let them bring me back. It was Dan. That asshole killed you and now he's acting like he never did it and he is trying to get my mom to get me checked like if I was mental! The worse of it all is that she believes him and not me! I'm alone!'

Keith shook his head. 'You're not. You're never alone. Trust me they're all waiting for you'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. They really love you, Lucas. No one wants to lose you'

Lucas swallowed and sponged his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie.

'What if they leave me again?'

'I don't think they will now but if they do then you know they're not good enough. It's not a reason to give up though. Will you remember that? Never give up. Life gets better'

'What if I can't hold it?'

'Do you want to be like Jimmy Edwards and give up because life gets too hard?'

The mention of this tragic story brought chills down Lucas' spine. The day Jimmy and Keith died was the day he was trying his hardest to forget.

'I won't' he finally said.

'You won't what?'

'Give up'

'Say it'

'I won't give up, ever.'

'Promise?'

'Promise'

Keith smiled and opened his arms. 'That's my boy'. Lucas smiled while they shared a hug that seemed to last forever.

The pain was rushing back to his body and now every part of it ached. He really felt like crap. What had he gotten himself into this time? He started to become aware of his surroundings. His arm. There was something stuck to his arm. The smell was also different than we he was used to. It smelled like hospitals…god he hated hospitals. His eyelids started fluttering slowly and he could get a small glimpse of the blinding light waiting for him to open his eyes.

His eyelids slowly pulled themselves up and his took a few seconds to adjust to the light. He heard voices. They were talking. There were people in the room with him. He searched them and saw Haley at first. Then he moved his head and the sound of it brought all attention on him.

Karen snapped her head when she heard the sounds coming from the bed. When Haley saw Karen's head turn, she followed it and looked at the bed. There, she saw two wonderful baby blues staring right back at her.

'Hey buddy!' he said in a hoarse voice.

'Hey' her lips were trembling and soon enough she was in his arms.

'God I missed you! You scared the hell out of me!'

Lucas heard a small voice in his head. It was smile but he recognized it. 'See, I told you'. With that he managed to pull a smile and hugged his friend tighter.

--

**End of a new chapter and that means beginning of a new review. Oh come on you know you want to make me happy! Just let me know what you guys thought of it. Hope you guys stick with me for this story that is definitely not over. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	6. Feel the Pain to Know You're Alive

_AN : thank you gu__ys so much for all the great reviews. Enjoy the new chapter!_

XxXxXxX

Haley sat in front of Lucas and eyed him down. 'You okay?, she asked.

'I guess…' he whispered. Lucas swallowed and frowned. 'My throat hurts though'

'That's because they had to pump your stomach' Karen said on a cold tone. She was looking down while she spoke and Lucas turned to see her like if it was the first time he noticed her since he woke up.

He made a weird face. It was a mixture of sadness, anger and disappointment. Karen looked up at him. Their eyes met and they both stayed deathly quiet. Haley was starting to get nervous about the silence.

The memories were too fresh in Lucas' mind. The phone call and his last conversation with his mom were just too present in his mind and he was really sure he wanted her to be there right now. It was all a mystery now.

'What happened, Lucas?' asked Haley, breaking the heavy silence.

Lucas closed his eyes and tried to think for a second. 'I don't really know…it just happened so fast!' he finally said.

'But what put you in that state?' insisted Haley.

'You'

'Me?'

'Not you, I mean all of you…you guys broke my trust' he admitted.

Haley frowned. She had tears burning in her eyes.

'Lucas, this is not fair! You asked us to believe something that came from a dream you had!' Karen pointed out.

Lucas shook his head no. He bit on his bottom lip and stared at his mom for a second, his baby blues piercing through her soul. She felt like if he was scanning her insides.

'It wasn't all a dream. I met the girl and she told me. Anyways, you guys made your choice! Haley, you and Nathan chose to take care of your couple and mom, you chose to believe Dan instead of me'

Haley started crying. Never had she thought that he would blame this on her but he did and it hurt even more because she knew it was just the truth. Karen sighed.

'Lucas, I'm really sorry you're seeing it this way but I can't just sit there and watch you hurt yourself more. I spoke with the doctor and we both think it's best for you to get some help' she announced.

Lucas nodded with a hurt look in his eyes. 'Right. You chose to be selfish and take a professional to put the fault on!'

'You call me selfish?! Aren't you the one who didn't think about anybody else than himself?!', she half yelled. The tears started falling from her eyes, 'I could've lost my son out there!'

'That's right mom, 'your son'! It's funny how you always bring it back to you!' Lucas yelled on the same tone. His throat was aching even more.

Karen squeezed her eyes shut for a second. All it took was a few seconds for her to stand and throw 'I need some air' before she left Haley alone in the room with Lucas.

Haley turned her eyes from the door to Lucas and watched her friend for a second.

'So honestly, how are you feeling?'

'Like crap. Can I have some water?' he asked while putting a hand on his aching throat.

'Sure', she picked a glass and left for the bathroom linked to the room. She came back with a water filled cup that she handed him.

'Thanks' he mumbled. Lucas drank the cold water and put the glass back on the night table next to his bed.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. 'Anyone else came?'

Haley swung her head from side to side. 'Well…pretty much everyone. Last night was your mom, Nathan, me and Brooke and…Peyton kinda came this morning…'

'Peyton?'

'I sent her away' Haley spontaneously threw.

Lucas stared at her with wide eyes for a second. 'You what?'

'I just told her to go…was it wrong?'

Luke took his time to think about it. He didn't really think he was ready to face his ex girlfriend now. 'No…I guess not. For the moment at least' he answered. Haley nodded. Her eyes watered again.

'God Luke! I really thought you were dead, you scared the shit out of me!' she cried. Lucas wrapped his arms around her.

'I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, but I'm ok now' he whispered in her ear. She pulled away and tried smiling. It was weak but genuine.

'What happened after…you know…after I passed out?'

Haley wiped her tears with her hand and sighed. 'Well, I don't know how long passed between you passing out and Nathan and I finding you but…'

'Wait, you found me?' he cut her off. She nodded.

'Oh Christ…' Lucas breathed.

'Just tell me you'll do it' she said.

'Do what?'

'Get help. I want you to get it because I don't ever want that to happen again!' she said with tears glistening in her eyes. Lucas nodded.

'Ok then. Haley James, I promise you that I will get help so you never have to save my sorry ass again'

She smiled and smacked him playfully on the shoulder. 'You jackass! Plus, I'm a Scott now'

Lucas laughed. 'Right..' he said.

They stayed there watching each other and laughing. This was just like the old times when there was only the two of them against the world. All of a sudden, Haley jumped off the bed and gave Lucas a mommy like look.

'Time to rest now. You gotta get some sleep!'

'Fine, mom' Luke said. His smile faded and he pulled the covers over to his shoulder.

'Night' Haley said.

Lucas never answered. She figured he had fallen asleep. It was confirmed when she saw his eyes closed and his chest slowly rise and fall. She smiled at herself. Haley hadn't noticed a visitor that had been watching her for a while now.

'If our son is like this then you're gonna be a great mom' Nathan laughed.

Haley smiled at him and simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They hugged for a little while.

'When did you get here?' she asked.

'After Karen called me to tell me my brother was awake and hanging out with my wife so I had to came to make sure you guys weren't making out' he laughed. Haley shoved him slightly.

'You're a dork, you know that?'

'But you love your little dork, right?'

'Of course I love you!', with that she kissed him.

After their kiss, they decided to leave the room and let Lucas sleep.

--

Lucas was wearing a robe and sat in a chair in front of a classy looking woman. She was all dressed up and her hairs were drawn back by tons of bobby pins. Her make up was light but deepened her features making her look ten years older. Lucas felt by her glare on him that she was judging him and he really felt like wasting his time. He sure as hell didn't need a shrink to tell him what his problem was but he promised Haley he'd do it so there he sat, in his hospital room with a woman jotting down everything he said.

She had been there for a little while and not much had been said already.

'Are we going to sit here all day or you can tell me what is wrong so I can help you?' the woman asked.

Lucas shrugged.

'You do know why we're here today, Mr Scott'

'Because my mom asked you to come and judge me' Lucas said coldly.

'I already told you that I'm not here to judge you! I'm only here to help'

'How can you help me if you don't even know about me?'

'That's why I need you to talk to me'

Lucas sighed. He really wished he could be anywhere but there now. He kinda wished he was back in that park where he had talked to his uncle.

'I'm only opening up because I promised my friend I'd get some help'

'She's a great friend!'

'I do feel like I'm wasting my time. Why are you even here? It's not like you cared anyway!'

'I'm here because whether accidentally or not, you almost killed yourself the other night. That's something uncommon don't you think?'

Lucas shrugged and sighed. He crossed his arms and stared at the woman.

'You won't judge me?' he asked. She shook her head with a smile. Lucas swallowed and tried digging his mind for the best place to start. 'Whenever you're ready' the psychologist said. Lucas nodded slowly. 'Could you go with questions? I'm not sure where I should start'

The woman nodded. 'Sure, I can try. Lucas, when did you start to feel like nothing was going well anymore?'

Lucas didn't have to think too much for that one. He knew exactly what happened that changed his life forever. For the worse…

'It all this year…when there was a shooting at my school and my uncle died'

'You're uncle died in that school shooting?'

'Yea…he went back inside because he knew the shooter and he tried to convince him to just put the gun down and follow him out…'

'So the shooter killed your uncle?'

'That's what I thought until…until later this year when I had a heart attack and I kinda…you're gonna think that I am totally crazy!' Lucas said while shaking his head.

The woman crossed her leg and put her hands on her knees. 'I told you I'm not here to judge'

Lucas shook his head. 'Whatever…well I had a dream when I was unconscious where my uncle came back and told me that Jimmy had nothing to do with his death. So I kinda went forward and tried to remember some stuff about the shooting when I remembered seeing someone hiding in the school when I left my uncle behind to help my friend that had been shot. I thought I might've been only my imagination but then I found the girl in my dream and she told me it was true…she was there and Jim never shot my uncle…'

The woman nodded her head in repetition while she wrote her notes on her pad. 'If it wasn't Jimmy who killed your uncle then who did it?'

Lucas' face filled with rage and pure anger. He was clenching his fist so tightly that his knuckles were growing white. 'My dad' he whispered.

The woman nodded but her head stopped every movement and she stared at him.

'This is a big accusation, are you sure about it?'

'Yes. But nobody trusts me. My mom started dating my dad and I caught them kissing. When I told my mom what my father did she yelled at me. After that, she came into my room and asked what was wrong with me so I told her the Abby story and the fact that she witnessed everything...she replied that I needed professional help! Do you hear that? I just tell my mom that my dad killed her fiancé and the only thing she thinks of is getting me checked and labelled crazy!' he said with tears glistening in his eyes.

'Is this why you took all these pills?'

Lucas' head starting going from side to side then he was clearly nodding.

'But I wasn't trying to kill myself!' he said on a solid tone.

'Oh really?'

'You're mocking!'

'I'm not. I'm just wondering who someone who took so many pills could not have been trying to kill himself' she replied. Lucas' gaze intensified. This was so useless.

'I…I was just trying to find a way out, you know. I just wanted to stop thinking about everything and I wanted to…escape it. The pain and everything my life brought…I never thought this could kill me, I was just trying to kill the pain…'

The woman nodded and wrote a few more things down. Then, she closed her pad and uncrossed her legs.

'I guess this is all for today but this really ain't bad for a first session. I guess I'll see you soon' she said. Lucas didn't really car to answer. He just stood and locked himself in the bathroom.

Karen was waiting outside when the psychologist came out of her son's room.

'How was it?' she asked.

'Well, I think we got a lot of work to do but he talked to me. This is a good thing' the woman answered.

'Thanks, Dr Calley. Do you think you'll be able to help him?'

'Only if he lets me in but the kid definitely has something wrong going on. I saw the coldness in his eyes…he's not totally there anymore but I'll do my best to bring the old Lucas back'

'Thank you so much!'

The woman smiled and grabbed her briefcase before walking down the hallway. Haley had been sitting next to Karen all along since she promised Lucas to meet him after his therapy. Karen felt awfully sorry for her son but she couldn't bring herself to believe what Lucas was saying. This was too absurd and she was too scared that it'd be true. She battled herself on whether or not she should go in but decided against it with the latest events. She left the hospital after telling Haley she'd go home. Haley nodded and walked inside Lucas' room. The bathroom door opened and he went back onto the bed. Haley sat in a chair nearby.

'How was it?'

Lucas sighed. 'I don't think I'll stand it too long'

'Luke…'

'You should've seen the way she looked at me! I could have sworn she was judging me!'

'Lucas, you gotta stop thinking that everyone is against you!'

Lucas let his head drop onto the pillow and rested on his side, his back turned to Haley.

'Hales, I'd really like to be alone right now'

Haley, even though Lucas couldn't see it, was hit hard by Lucas' desire. She held a sad smile and stood. 'Sure. See you later' she said.

She quickly went out of the room and didn't even stop when she crossed Peyton. She just sent the girl a clod gaze and quickly walked away to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. Peyton shrugged and walked inside the room. She saw Lucas lying on the bed with his back turned on her. She knocked softly on the door.

'Ahem. Can I come in?' she asked softly.

Lucas poked his head over his shoulder when he heard her voice. 'Peyt?'

'Am I at a wrong time?' she asked shyly.

'It's never a good time…' he spat coldly. Lucas' coldness hit Peyton like she had just been stabbed.

'Look, I understand that you're mad at me but you got to know how sorry I am!'

'Really, you are?'

Tears fell from her eyes when he met her gaze. 'Yes' she whispered.

'I shouldn't have let you down and I feel horrible for it! I just thought you didn't like me anymore because you were never around and you never thought of calling me!'

'I'm sorry too. I should've told you but…it was complicated and overwhelming and…'

She nodded. 'I understand but still. I shouldn't have dropped you like an old pair of socks. You needed me and I blew it. I just thought I'd tell you how sorry I really am'

'It's okay, Peyton'

'No! no it's not ok because you forgive me again when I've been awful with you and I didn't even forgive you and cut you out without even letting you explain' she cried.

'Look, I understand why you did it. If I was dating someone like me I would've done the same thing! I recognize that I haven't been there lately and I'm sorry that I've been an ass to you'

She smiled. 'So we're even?'

'We're good', he smiled lightly.

'So you forgive my mistake and forget it so we act like nothing happened?' she asked with hope in her voice. Lucas seemed to disagree though.

'Actually, no. It happened, we can't change it. I will forgive but I can't forget. It caused me so much pain, Peyton. If only you knew…let's say we go back to being friends' he said.

Peyton was hurting now. Her heart was broken but it was her fault in the first place.

'Sure…let's be friends'

'You sure?'

'Yeah' she said a little too fast and easily for it to be convincing. Lucas nodded.

'Good. See you later' he said then turning back onto his side and closing his eyes to get a little nap. Peyton stomped out of the room, her eyes running like a fountain and she couldn't stop it. Friends…

--

**Hehe, I'm so glad you guys still like this story because this is far from over. You just cannot know how happy I was when I opened my mailbox and saw just how many of you had sweet words for me and the story, thank you so much! So I got really good and freshly new ideas that I'm going to put on. I might start a new storyline in the next chapter. You guys know Luke is in a double room, well that means two beds so a second person will be there!!!**

Next:

There's a new occupant in the room. Lucas meets a suicidal girl who might change his life forever and open his eyes on the world. They're bond might just change him for the better…stay tuned to learn more

Also:

-Will Lucas find the way to convince everyone about Dan?

-Will he forgive everyone for not trusting him?

-Will his therapy last?

-Will you be there to read?

I hope so. Thanks for reading and see you soon!


	7. Getting to Know You

**A/N : Wow, I got so many amazing reviews! Thank you guys so much. Here goes the new chapter! Enjoy!**

**--**

A nurse in white lab coat came barging into the room while Lucas was desperately trying to find something rather interesting to watch on the TV that hung over the bed. He barely noticed the woman who was impatiently waiting next to the bed. Little did he want to give her any attention. In fact, his only concern was about getting out of this place and start living his life…well what was actually left of it.

'Ahem', the woman now wanted to be noticed. Lucas barely moved his head toward her.

'It's time for your tests, Lucas' she said.

Lucas growled. 'Why are we doing this?' he asked.

'Because we need to know if there still are any toxins in your blood' she explained.

The teenager rolled his eyes and moved himself on the bed.

'I need to take you in the exam room' she added, showing him a wheelchair.

'Do I really need that?'

'Hospital policy' she spat. It seemed like she didn't want to be there more than Lucas did. He sighed. Lucas stood from the bed just to sit again in the wheelchair. His mom had been waiting in the doorway. She waved her hand over him but he barely gave her a glare. It saddened her more than her face could tell.

Half an hour later, the nurse woman was wheeling Lucas back into his room. She took a stop right in front of the door.

'We'll have the results up in a few hours' she said.

'Sure, great' Lucas said in a sarcastic voice.

The nurse rolled her eyes and wheeled Lucas inside the room. Lucas was dozing off when he saw that the curtain of the bed next to his was pulled. He could only make out voices from behind the long curtain even though the people were whispering. He shot the nurse a glimpse but she gave him as interest in him as he gave her along the way.

Lucas got on his bed sooner than she expected it. Brooke was sitting in the chair next to the bed. She gave him a sympathetic smile when their eyes crossed.

'Hey, Luke' she greeted.

'Hey, Brooke! What's up?'

'I could ask you the same thing! How you've been?'

'Coping…I guess' he said quickly looking down. Brooke understood his discomfort.

'Look, about the other night at Tric…' she started but he cut her off.

'I wasn't in the best of moods. Though, you have nothing to do with what happened next…' he explained.

Brooke looked at him with deeper eyes now. 'By that you mean you trying to end your…'

'I didn't want to' he spat. 'I didn't intend on killing myself', he whispered that part while eyeing the curtain behind him. Brooke stared at it too.

'Who is it?' he asked.

'I didn't see much. All I know is that it's a girl and her parents were whining before you came. It was kinda hard on the ears and mood…' she said. Lucas nodded.

She took a more comfortable position into the chair and stared back at her friend. He seemed so distant and out of it.

'So, have you talked to Peyton?' she asked.

'Yes I did…she came by'

'What'd she say?' Brooke asked curiously.

Lucas scratched his brow. 'That she was sorry'

Brooke rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, sure. She should be'

Lucas frowned. 'Are you mad at her?' he asked with a little hint in his voice.

'Why shouldn't I be? You're my friend, Luke and I got your back!'

Lucas shook his head franticly. 'No. Don't. I'm not worth ruining your friendship with Peyton. Just forget about me. I'll be fine' he said coldly. He had become that Lucas again. The one she had spoken with the night he took all these pills. The cold Lucas and shadow of his own self.

'Lucas. Can I tell you something?' she asked with a lower voice. Her eyes were watering.

'Sure' he nodded.

'You really are a good guy and I'm glad we worked things out and we can be friends. I really enjoy being that but please you need to do something with yourself. For yours and everyone's sake, please I don't know what it is that's wrong with you but we've became so cold and distant and…I really think you need to stop underestimating yourself and get back into your old self', a few tears fell from her eyes.

He pulled her into a hug. 'I know but I just don't know how I could do this when I'm all alone' he admitted in her ears. She pulled away and cried more.

'You're not alone, Lucas! Damn! You got your mom and Haley and Nathan and…you got me. You know I'll always be there for you!' she cried.

He shook his head. 'See that's where you're wrong. I don't have Nathan and Haley and I sure as hell don't have my mom!'

Brooke was shocked. Her eyes opened as wide as basketballs and looked like sinking into her sockets. 'Lucas! Haley loves you! We had to pull her out of here to get her to rest. And Nathan! He cares about like hell! He cried his heart out when he saw you lying here! And your mom, how could you say she doesn't care! She had the fear of her life, Luke! You scared the shit out of everyone!' she half-yelled. Lucas wasn't ready for a lecture yet he got it. If looks could kill, Lucas would be six feet under right now. The only thing he could do now was to lay his eyes on his hands and wait for hurricane Brooke to pass.

'Then why doesn't anyone trust me when I tell you guys what happened in the school the day Keith died?' Lucas hopelessly said.

'You said anything about that?' she asked in surprise.

Lucas' eyes seemed to sparkle with hope. It was just for a second but Brooke saw the hopeful glimpse he gave her. Soon after that the sparkle had died out.

'It wasn't Jimmy who shot Keith…'

Brooke gave Lucas her I-Want-More look so he continued.

'…it was Dan' he finished.

Brooke's mouth fell wide opened with a little, almost inaudible, shriek. It took her a few seconds to connect with the newest revelation. After what seemed to be an infinite silence, she slowly nodded.

'I trust you' she simply said.

Lucas let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 'Thank god' he breathed.

'Oh, you can call me Brooke', she attempted a joke.

After a silence, Lucas smiled. Brooke let out a small laugh.

'So what are you gonna do?' she asked.

'I don't know. Like I told you, no one believes me'

'Who'd you tell?'

'My mom'

She nodded. 'Well I guess your mom will be hard to convince. I mean, she's alone and she probably enjoys having your dad around to raise her child' she proposed.

Lucas looked up at the ceiling while he spoke. 'I only wish she chose any other human being then my father…'

'Sorry' Brooke whispered.

'It's far from being your fault'

'I know but this really sucks and I'm sorry your life as to be so miserable'

Lucas attempted to small but it came more into a grimace. They were interrupted when the nurse poked her head inside the room.

'I'm sorry everyone, visiting hours are over' she announced. Brooke rolled her eyes and gave Lucas a hug and two pecks on the cheeks.

'Here, buddy boy. You take care of yourself and I'll take care of your mom. Til then, don't do anything stupid!' she said.

Lucas smiled. 'Alright. Bye Brooke'

'Bye Broody', she gave him a nod. Lucas smiled at his nickname. It felt like ages since Brooke had given him his nicknames. He laid on the bed and stared at the closed curtain.

All of a sudden, it was pulled and he saw two saddened parents leave the room. The door finally closed and he was all alone with the sleeping form of a girl lying in the bed next to his. She seemed to be about his age, maybe just a little younger.

Lucas thought she was pretty. Her hairs were long and black and her traits were soft. She was sleeping peacefully. The only sign that she was alive was the sound of the heart monitor, oxygen machine and other machines.

Lucas stared at her for a second. He almost jumped when he heard a voice.

'Are they gone now?'

He looked around but apparently they were alone so that definitely came from her.

'Uh, yeah' he stuttered.

'Good'

The girl's eyes snapped open. Big and deep turquoise eyes. She found herself strapped from everywhere with multiple wires connecting to her. She brought her hand to her face and pulled the tube that was helping her to breathe.

'What are you doing?' Lucas asked suddenly.

'I'm getting the hell out of here!' she said.

'But your parents?'

She stopped her moves for a second, staring at him like he just said something extremely stupid. A black and long strand of hair fell onto her face and hid one of her eye. He then noticed she had a black line of makeup under her eyes. Like this, she really was pretty.

'You didn't just ask about my parents, did you?'

Lucas shrugged.

'That's exactly why I'm running' she said.

Lucas attempted a joke 'Can I come with you?'

'You're serious?' she asked pulling the IV out of her arm.

'As much as you…of course not! Are you kidding? Where are you gonna go?'

'I don't know. I'll find somewhere to crash' she said.

'Look, you were on life support two minutes ago you can't leave'

'Why not?'

_Damn she is stubborn_, Lucas thought.

'Because! You can't runaway from your problems. They're just going to keep chasing you until you stop running and face them'

The girl stopped her attempts to escape. She considered it for a second then plopped back onto bed and crossed her arms.

'We're starting well. We just met and I already hate you' she snapped.

Lucas smiled softly.

'You hate that I'm right?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Whatever…'

Lucas watched her for a second.

'I'm Lucas' he blurted out.

She turned to face him. Her eyes that were once turquoise were now shiny grey. Lucas realized that while he scanned her. That was the weirdest but yet prettiest thing he'd seen.

'I'm Lauren…' she finally said.

Lucas could feel a special chemistry with this girl and as sure as he had two eyes and a nose, he knew this was definitely going somewhere.

--

**That's it now! Hehe. I'm cruel to stop it there but it'll give me more to write next time. This story is the one I'm focusing on right now so I might update frequently. If you got any comments, suggestions or stuff you guys wanna talk about, I'm all ears! Don't be shy and please tell me what you thought of this story. I appreciate feedback. Enough babbling now!**

Next:

-Luke gets to meet Lauren and learn a little more about her

-Second session of therapy for broody boy. How does it go?

-We see Dan for the first time in this story. You'll get his thoughts about what happened.

-Lucas' friends try to reach out to him but he's pretty closing up.

Hope you'll be there to read the next chapters and thanks to those who do read and review everytime!

See you soon and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


	8. Tell me Who you Really Are

**A/****N:****Aww**** thank you so much, everyone, for all the really amazing reviews. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. Time to get back in school and in writing/reading. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**--**

Lauren had finally fallen asleep under Lucas' curious glare. She had not said much on about the reason that brought her there or anything else about herself. However, whether she hated him or not, Lucas was determined to find out whom this girl was.

Lately he had been praying for his discharge but at this right moment, he was praying his good star to let him stay here. At least, stay long enough to get to know the girl he just met. Letting Brooke and Peyton aside, Lucas ended up falling whilst watching his new friend. Of course, Lucas couldn't say if Lauren would call him this but deep inside, he knew they didn't meet randomly. It was all prepared by the master of everything: fate.

_There he was, standing in front of the man who took everything away from him. He __couldn't__ make out every part of his cruel face because it was hidden in the darkness of the room. All he could see was the small and shining object he held at his sides. There was blood on his hands. _

_Lucas was shaking. His lips were quivering as the old man grinned, showing his best horrible smile. The kid could feel his insides boil every time he stared next to the cruel figure. __the__ man was the same person he once called his dad. If only he knew in what kind of monster he turned, never would he have said those words. _

_There were cries. Somebody was crying. Next to the man, Karen was lying on the floor and weeping like a baby._

_'Please Luke' she begged._

_The man laughed. __'That's__ it, Luke! Say it. Tell her I didn't do it' he giggled._

_'I can't lie' Lucas whispered. _

_Dan shrugged. His smile __was held__ high. 'Ok then'_

_He turned the barrel of the gun toward the older woman and fired twice. A soft noise came from her then the fear that was once lighting her eyes died away. _

_'__MOMMM__!!!'__ he yelled. _

'Mom!!!MOM!!'

'Lucas, wake up. Luke!'

Lucas' eyes snapped open. Lauren was standing above him. Her piercing gray eyes scanned him for a second. Lucas was breathing really fast and he was covered in sweat. His eyes searched the room for something but he only saw her.

'Are you okay?' she asked.

'Uh..yeah. It's just a bad dream' he stuttered. Lauren gave him her best sympathetic smile.

'Wanna talk about it?' she asked with a nod.

Lucas frowned. He stared at her for a second. 'You don't talk to me or anything but I should trust you and tell you?' he asked with a sarcastic yet funny tone.

She gave him a fake hurt look then a smirk. 'Well, you can always just shut up and go back to sleep then you're gonna wake up in an hour and yell for your mom…or just trust me and open up' she proposed.

'Umm…that's really hard' he joked. She smiled and gave him a little tap on the shoulder.

'Come on, let me show you something!' she said. Lucas frowned.

'What do you have to lose?' she added. Lucas shrugged then her smile reached her ears. She took him by the arm and almost ran him out the room. All along, she was smiling. They walked down the hospital corridors.

'Why are you smiling like that?' he asked.

'I love your butt' she joked. Lucas didn't know what to took before she grabbed the border of his opened gown.

Lucas growled. 'Ok I get it now'

'I love backless gowns' she laughed. Lucas couldn't help but smile. She pulled him closer and they hid in a corner. They were really close and Lauren could feel Lucas' breath against her neck. Two nurses passed next to them but didn't see them. Lucas understood why they were hiding and didn't say a word until Lauren spun around to face him.

'We must not be seen' she explained.

'Why? Are we breaking the law?' he asked rising an eyebrow. She just smiled and pulled his arm. They reached the door giving onto a staircase. The young girl looked behind her and opened the door where Lucas and she entered. They went up the stairs, climbing floors and steps. Lauren crossed a maid's carriage. She bent and picked up some sheets and warmer covers. She gave half of it to Lucas and nodded her head up the stairs. She grabbed on last thing, a key on the ring.

They reached the last door at the top of the stairs. It was locked. Lauren put her stuff over Lucas' pile and placed the little key she stole in the keyhole. She turned the key and heard the lock go loose. Then, she pushed the door open. Lucas stared at the other side.

Lauren turned and smiled at him before pulling him on the roof of the hospital. From there, the view was absolutely beautiful. They reached Lauren's favorite spot and laid the sheets on the floor. Then she sat and he followed. They were side by side, watching the sun come up on Tree Hill. Blankets around their shoulders, smile held in their pink faces, they watched the sunrise.

The morning colors were just beautiful. Lucas was amazed. It wasn't his first sunrise, yet it was the prettier he ever seen in his life. When the sun arrived at full height in the sky, they both laid flat on their backs. Neither had said a thing since they got there.

'Tell me who you really are' Lauren finally said.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean that I want to know the truth. Not the shit you tell everyone to get along better, I want to know the real you' she whispered.

Both their heads were turned on the same side so their eyes were stuck in each other's. Lucas noticed Lauren's eyes were now deep green.

'Well…hmm, I'm Lucas Scott and I always lived in Tree Hill. I'm 18 years-old, my mom hates me, my dad killed my uncle who had always been like a real dad to me, hmm, my girlfriend left me and my once best friend got married to my brother and they stuck together, forgetting about anyone else and taking care of only them two' he said coldly.

Lauren had listened to everything he said and felt a stab of sympathy for him.

'This sucks…' she simply replied. Lucas let out a nervous laugh.

'It's ironic that's all…'

She looked down then back up and found his eyes. It all felt so much better now.

'Well, it's my turn I guess…I'm Lauren Roberts and I'm from Wilmington. I am 15, my mom died when I was 8. After that, my dad got married with a witch…' she said. This brought a smile in Lucas' face.

'Sorry about your mom' he said.

'Sorry about your uncle' she replied.

They both rested on their backs for a second. For once, the silence felt more comfortable than words could ever feel.

'What was your dream about?' she finally asked.

'It was weird…I dreamt that my dad killed my mom because of me…' he said in a low voice.

'Wow. Your dreams are pretty harsh!' she said. 'Sorry…'

'But that's just a dream, right?'

'Right…' she nodded. The silence came back again.

'Is your dad in jail or something? I mean, for killing your uncle'

'No. No one knows except me and…my mom… but she doesn't believe me. She thinks I'm crazy' he answered with a newfound coldness in his voice.

They stayed there, staring at each other for what seemed like hours.

'Why are you here?' she asked him.

'I…I couldn't handle my mom not believing me and everyone else just shutting me out. My girlfriend left me in the morning, my mom wanted to send me to a shrink in the afternoon and I called my brother while he was having sex in the night and he pretty much told me to go kill myself so I snapped…I found those pills and…I just broke down' he explained.

'Life is so short to try ending it now. You have so much to live for. Do it while you can' Lauren said in an incredible calm and peace of mind.

'Ok. I'll remember that…why are you here?'

Lauren lowered her head. She was going to speak when the door to the roof snapped open on two angry nurses. They both took one kid and led them back to their room with a good lecture.

--

Lucas was sitting on the bed. Nathan was in the chair next to him. Lauren's bed was empty. Lucas figured she was probably having some tests running.

The silence had fallen between the two Scotts.

'So…' Nathan said. 'Are you feeling better?' he added.

'I guess'

Nathan nodded his head.

'You mad at me?'

'For what?'

'That night…when you called me, I kinda ended things quickly'

'You were having fun. I shouldn't have bothered you' Luke said coldly.

'What?! I was the one who was wrong. I cut you out when you needed me! See where that led things'

Lucas shrugged. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone. Anyone but Lauren. She was the only one in his mind right now. He could feel the soft perfume of her shampoo and see her beautiful dark hairs dance in the wind. Her changing eyes were hunting his thoughts and he was losing himself in her smile, her laugh and all of her being.

A surprise guest entered the room. Nathan's head snapped first. Lucas then followed slowly and saw Dan in the doorway. Lucas' eyes widened.

Dan was deep in thoughts. Even though he wouldn't show anything of it, he never felt guiltier because he knew Lucas was right and even if he was glad Karen didn't believe him, he felt like it was his fault that the kid's life was falling to pieces. He wanted to be there for his son but how could he? The kid sure as hell hated him now and forever will.

He just wanted to hold him in his arms and say that everything was going to be okay but he never could. Lucas would never allow him that kind of attention and he would never allow himself that kind of weakness. Showing his emotions would mean he was weak and Dan Scott was never weak.

'Are are you doing, son?'

'Don't you call me that' Lucas snapped coldly. Nathan got up.

'Dad, I don't think you should be here right now' the younger Scott said.

'What, can't I see my son now?' Dan asked.

'I said you don't call me that!' Lucas yelled a little louder. No one seemed to notice him at all.

'Dad I just don't think this is the best moment'

'Nathan, you won't tell me when I can and cannot see my son!'

'DON'T YOU FUCKING CALL ME THAT!' Lucas shouted at the top of his lungs.

Dan turned to face him. The kid was red in anger. His eyes held so much hatred and fear. Nathan eyed from his father, to his brother and then back at his father.

'I think you should go' Nathan finally said.

'You go too, Nate' Lucas spat.

Now they were all starring at him. 'Everyone just leave me alone!'

'Luke?'

Lucas had turned chalky white. He went from lobster red to really pale in the blink of an eye. No one moved. They all just starred.

Luke shook his head and stomped out of bed to go lock himself in the bathroom. The two Scotts starred at each other for a second. Nathan walked over to the closed door and knocked.

'Luke, you okay?'

The answer wasn't coming. After a long silence, the softest of a murmur came out 'Just go'

Nathan shrugged. He turned and saw a beautiful dark haired girl.

'Are you coming to see Lucas?' he asked her directly.

'No, that's my room too' Lauren said.

'Well I hope you didn't want to talk to Lucas because he locked himself in the bathroom'

The girl frowned. She pushed Nathan aside and knocked softly on the door.

'Luke?'

'Lauren?' the voice came out hoarse.

'Are you okay?' she asked.

'Are you alone?' he replied quickly. His voice was becoming more and more distant.

'There's a tall and hot brunette with me', she turned to Nathan and gave him a nod.

'Nathan, go away!' Lucas yelled.

'Not til you open that door!'

'Please Nate, g…'

They heard a weak thump.

'Luke?' Lauren asked. Her heart skipped a beat. There was no reply.

'God dammit!' she cursed. She got a card out of her pocket and put it in the door crack. After playing with the lock, it finally went loose. She opened the door only to find a passed out Lucas. His face was pale yet his breathing seemed normal.

'He's got a fever!' she said rubbing his forehead.

Nathan went to get someone. Lauren stayed with Lucas until the doctors were there and wheeled Lucas directly to exam room.

--

She waited for an hour or so when she finally heard the wheels onto the linoleum. She saw the foot of a gurney pass the door. Lucas was sleeping peacefully. Karen was there along with Nathan and Haley who had spent her morning waiting in the cafeteria. Nathan went to see Lauren and give her some more details.

'What was it?' she asked.

'They think they removed the IVs too fast. He had gotten used to the drugs in the IV and pulling it out too fast just messed up with his system. I guess he'll be in the hospital a little longer than he thought…'

She nodded. 'Thanks for the information'

'I'm Nathan, Lucas' brother', he held his hand out.

She shook it. 'Lauren, I'm kinda his roommate'

They watched him sleep from there.

'You two talked?' Nathan asked.

'Yeah. He's a nice guy'

'I know. Do you think he'd rather be alone when he wakes up?'

'Why?'

'Because I've got the feeling that when he opens his eyes, he'll yell at everyone that he wants to be alone' he explained.

'Probably'

'What do you propose we do?' he asked.

'I could stay here and tell him you want to see him when he wakes up. If he wants then come and enjoy but if he doesn't, you'll have to accept his decision'

'Fine'

'Okay. Just tell everyone to go. Don't worry, I'll take care of him'

--

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter and your holidays of course. I wish you a good comeback in school and well, have fun with all your new things you got! ****Don't**** forget to make me happy by leaving a sweet review and even if I'm like extra busy with school, I'll try my best to get frequent updates for you. I hope you like the story so far because it is ****really far**** from over. I got plenty of ideas for Luke and Lauren. **

**If you have any comments, any suggestion or just want to talk, feel free to tell me. If ****there's**** anything you don't like and I should change then go for it and tell me. ****I'm**** always open for improvement and constructive comment.**

**Have a good time!**


	9. Gloomy Thoughts

**A/N: I feel really bad right now. See the last time I updated this story was around late Christmas and now it's Easter. Sorry for making you guys wait so long. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

XXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXX

He had been sitting there for hours. The color of the room was starting to annoy but not half as much as the ticking from the clock did. Topping it all, he missed her. He missed her lovely face and her sweet laugh. One minute the elder woman asked him a question, the other minute he was lost into her eyes again.

'Lucas? Lucas!'

He snapped back into reality. Dr Calley was staring right through him.

'Sorry, I zoned out' Lucas apologized. The therapist rubbed her cheek before going on again.

'What's on your mind, Lucas?' she asked.

'Nothing…'

Her features deepened when he said that. She positioned herself in her seat and clasped her hands together.

'I wouldn't call that nothing since you have barely been aware of my presence. I've been here for half an hour and you didn't even look at me or spoke to me for that matter' she explained.



'I'm just out of it, alright?!', he could feel some anger burn inside his stomach. It wasn't an anger he knew though. Little did he know where that was coming from as well.

As a specialist, she was determined to knock some sense out of him. 'Tell me what's wrong, Lucas'

He sighed. Since the day before where he had to go through a relapse, nothing felt the same. The only thing keeping him grounded was Lauren. If it wasn't for her he would've lost all trace of sanity.

Other than Lauren, Brooke could also get something out of him. Of course, he wasn't that opened with her but that was a whole lot more than what Nathan and Haley got. They actually got the silent treatment. Lucas refused to see them or talk to them. He wasn't mad at them but it felt like some beast was growing into his guts and it was jumping on anyone who was at the wrong place, wrong moment.

Dr. Calley snapped her fingers. 'You zoned out again!' she exclaimed. Lucas shook his head.

'I'm sorry, I can't help it!'

'Don't apologize, just talk to me' she jerked.

Lucas sighed. He scratched his brow whilst searching for the right words to say. 'Can we still go in the way that you ask the questions?'

She nodded with a smile. A little light shimmered into his eyes.

'So Lucas, tell me what happened since the last time we spoke' she started.



He breathed deeply, stared at his thumbs and spoke in a very low and monotonic tone. 'I met this girl…she's my roommate and—well—we get along. We started things on a fight but—uh—we're okay now. Whatever, that night where we met I—uh—I had like this horrible dream and she was there when I woke up..we went on the roof and then I collapsed in my room and…', at that point he was pretty much slurring.

'Ok Luke, slow down. Just go step by step. Now take a deep breath and tell me what was that dream about', her speech was soothing. Lucas took a deep breath and thought about that night. That dream. He started shuttering. Cold beads of sweat ran from his neck to the bottom of his spine.

'My…m…my dad wanted to hurt m…my…m…my m…mom…_he killed her_', her barely breathed the last sentence. Just the thought of it sent shivers through his body.

Her eyes lifted from her sheet. She stared at him for never ending seconds. 'Do you remember why?' she asked a lot softer now.

He spat the answer in cold blood, not wincing, not trembling. That one came out clear and stutterless. 'Because I knew the truth about what he did to my uncle'

The woman nodded. By the looks in his eyes, she understood that he was done for the day. He was already gone elsewhere. She packed her things and smiled at him for one last time. 'I'll see you in two days, Lucas. Take care of yourself'

With that, she left the room. Lucas' mind was wandering in a place where the grass was greener and where the emotions were meaningless.



As always, Karen was waiting outside the room when Dr. Calley got out. She crossed her, waiting to know some more about her only son.

'How is he?' she asked immediately.

'Not that good' the doctor admitted.

Karen's breath caught in her throat.

'What's wrong with him?' her voice was pleading. She wanted him to be okay. She wanted it so bad.

'Well I can't tell yet since I haven't seen him a lot…I'd have a few questions for you if you don't mind' she said.

Karen nodded. 'Sure'

The therapist nodded for the couches in the waiting room. Karen and her walked over there and sat in the closest couch. The doctor put her papers down on the coffee table and turned to Karen.

'Listen, I know this is hard right now considering the circumstances but if you could answer the most truthfully, that'd be really useful' she said.

Karen nodded, inviting her to go ahead.

'Ok then. How well do you think you know your son lately?' she asked.

Karen's heart skipped a beat. Where was this going?



'I think I know the most important things, why?', her tone told a little more than words did.

The other woman sighed. 'It's just to see if I can expect the answers I want'

Karen nodded unsure.

'Let's proceed now. Mrs Roe, when did you notice the change of behavior in your son?'

Karen thought for a second. She lowered her head.

'It was a couple of months ago. My son had gotten out of the hospital and he started saying weird things about a dream he had where he saw his uncle…'

'And how is that wrong?'

'He's dead…his uncle is dead' she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

'I see', the woman nodded. She licked her lips whilst thinking about the best way to ask the questions burning her lips.

'Did you notice something else like lack of hunger, difficulties falling asleep or sleeping too much?'

Karen searched the back of her mind. 'At that time, not really. I notice the difference now though. He won't eat anything and he his shutting everyone out. He won't talk to his best friend and his brother. _He won't talk to me either…_'

The psychologist nodded. 'Well thank you for these informations. I'll see when I can get more from him'



She gathered her things and left a dumbfounded Karen behind.

Lucas had been trying to sleep for a good moment now but it just wouldn't come. It felt like a forbidden slumber he couldn't access. He kept tossing and turning around in his bed but nothing would do. He tried closing his eyes and clearing his mind but each time, he saw something disturbing.

At first, he saw Lauren. Everything started feeling alright when the image of Dan came along. The older Scott was now standing above Lauren with a gun in his hands. Lucas snapped the thought out of his head. He found the way to remove Lauren but Dan stayed there and he sure as hell wouldn't go away.

He heard some knocking. Persuaded that this was only in his head, he shut his eyes harder. Footsteps were coming closer and closer. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth. A chair screeched on the floor. He felt a presence. Good? Bad? Hard to tell.

'Are you going to sleep all day?' a teasing voice asked. Lucas recognized the voice. He was definitely not waiting for that.

His eyes slowly opened on a gorgeous brunette. Her dark eyes pierced his. He smiled.

'Hi Brooke!'

'Hey broody, what took you? You were doing fine and then you weren't!'

He sat himself on the bed. 'You heard about it?'

'Haley called me. Lucas you scared the living shit out of me again!' she burst out.



'I'm sorry', he apologized. 'This time it wasn't my fault though' he added.

'Right. These damn doctors should really learn to do their jobs! They could've got you killed!' she cried.

Lucas smiled. He had missed that. Hanging out with Brooke was one thing he missed but what he missed over it all was her being scared for him. It felt good to feel important to at least one person. This lucky person was the first girl he ever had a serious relationship with. It was Brooke Davis.

'How are you feeling?' she asked now changing the subject.

'You want the truth or the Lucas version?' he joked.

She crossed her arms. 'I want the truth, no lies, no buts' she spat.

Lucas stared at his hands for a second. 'I feel like shit…I mean I'm back on stupid IVs and I'm checked ten times more now after what happened yesterday and I didn't even see Lauren yet…'

Brooke smirked. 'Who's Lauren by the way?' she asked with a huge smile.

Lucas smiled back. He started blushing slightly. Brooke mouth widened.

'Is shed the hot girl I saw in here the other night?!'

Lucas only nodded. Brooke smiled and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

They both stayed like that. They gave each other friendly taps and told stories and jokes until they grew tired of each other.



**Sorry I have to end it here but I'll try my hardest to have more soon. I'm really sorry it took so long to come up with but hey personal reasons forced me to take a small break. Hopefully I'm back on tracks so leave reviews and I'll deliver faster. Ah and thanks a lot for the amazing reviews I got from last chapters. Hope y'all had a nice chocolate day XD**

**Next:**

**-I'll put some Lucas/Lauren on**

**- We get to know more about the girl's past**

**-The therapist comes up with some answer**

**-loyal fans will read**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Like Kids Again

**A/N: Yay! I'm back after only a month…wow…I'm sorry really but thank you guys for bearing with my long periods without any fresh meat (Errrk please let's not talk about meat, lol). So here we go with the new update I hope you'll enjoy!**

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Cold. It all fell cold. He heard it again. He heard the sound he never wished to hear once more in his life. That laugh, so cruel. He was there. There was no escape to this. He was trapped…in his own body. His head was sending signals his limbs wouldn't follow. He felt the soft touch on his skin, the sweet perfume. That voice coming from so far away yet so close.

'Hey, Luke! Wake up!'

His eyes fluttered open. A dream again. Apparently that was the only thing he could produce correctly. Nightmares. Then he saw her. His heart felt whole. She was there for him, smiling like always.

'Hey you' he said.

'Get yourself up, sleepy head!' Lauren chuckled. Lucas smiled and pushed onto his hands to get in a sitting position. The girl was holding a paper bag.

'You went out?' he asked. She smiled.

'Nope. I just told my dad I was hungry and he made us some lunch…'

Lucas looked at her deeply. 'Us?'

She smiled again. 'Alright I didn't tell him about you I just said he should make more in case I grow too hungry' she giggled. Lucas laughed.

'Alright then, what do we have?'

She bit her bottom lip in a small as she got two sandwiches in Ziploc bags out. She tossed one to Lucas who stared at it for a moment.

'Is that what you call "high gastronomy"?' he chuckled.

'What?! Tell me you don't like it and I kick your butt!' she laughed. Lucas laughed as well.

'Well, I haven't been eating that since I was six!' he laughed. She winked.

'I guess I really am six, then' she said taking a bite at her improvised meal.

Lucas smiled. 'You really are weird' he joked.

'That's part of my charm' she said, her mouth full.

Lucas sighed. 'God, PB&Js! We're back in first grade!' he said.

'Just shut up and eat already'

They both laughed as they ate their lunch.

'You're right. It is a part of you charm and it IS good' he said.

She nodded. They totally understood each other when they said the least. Lucas came back onto earth for a second. He suddenly remembered something about the time they went on the roof.

Lucas sighed. 'Do you remember that time when you got me on the roof?' he asked.

Her eyes met his. She was chewing slower now. That had to come. 'Sure' she simply replied. 'What about it?' she added.

'You were gonna tell me something when…when they came' he said.

She lowered her head. Now wasn't a good time. They were having fun, right? Lucas saw the change in her face.

'You want to know why I'm here' she said coldly. Lucas was hesitating now.

'Well, just if you want to tell, I mean, I told you' he said.

'So that's your excuse?' she spat. Lucas swallowed. He went dead quiet, his eyes fixated on nothing. She sighed.

'Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a bitch' she apologized.

He nodded lightly before going back in the state he had been for the past days.

'You're pouting?' she asked. He didn't answer. He was already somewhere else. She snapped her fingers.

'Lucas?!'

He looked at her with his empty gaze.

'I'm sorry' she repeated.

'It's ok…' he said softly. 'It's not of my business anyway' he added. She felt bad for being so hard but she had no other choice.

'What about you? You've been in observation for a long time now!' she noted.

'Because of what happened yesterday, they won't let me out before at least tomorrow to make sure I don't collapse again' he admitted. She nodded her head.

'Does that mean that it's the end for us?' she asked.

He didn't answer. In fact, he didn't know. Hot tears burned the back of her eyes. In a few days, they had gotten so close that now it saddened her to think that they were going to be apart. Lauren tried changing subject.

'So what about your brother and the hot brunette I see often? Is she your girlfriend?' she asked.

'Brooke?'

She nodded thinking this must have been her name.

'No she's not. We dated twice actually but it never worked out' he said sadly.

'Why?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'It just wasn't meant to be' he said, knowing deep down that this wasn't the really best answer he could give since he still loved Brooke, a lot. They just weren't meant to be together…at least not now. They weren't ready.

She held a sad smile. 'And the blonde girl I saw a couple of times?'

Lucas's fist clenched at the thought. That wound was still wide open and he could feel a new flooding of blood running out of it.

'My ex girlfriend…' he said on an harsh yet barely inaudible tone. She felt the discomfort.

'The one who dumped you?'

He nodded. She sighed. 'Sorry, I shouldn't have asked'

'You couldn't know'

They stayed silent for what seemed like hours.

'What about you? I don't see you having too many visitors' he told her.

She shrugged. 'I'm not the girl who has thousands of friends. I bet nobody noticed that I wasn't there…only my dad comes everyday' she answered.

'Are you staying here for the rest of the year?' he joked.

Her eyes deepened. His smile faded. They filled with water. It turned into a grimace.

'I don't know' she cried.

Lucas was seeing her break down for the first time now. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her like a baby whilst she cried. He was gonna say more when Dr Calley poked her head inside the room.

'Lucas?' she asked.

'What?' he spat whilst Lauren was wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her hoodie.

'It's time for our meeting' she said.

Lucas sighed. He had totally forgotten about that meeting.

'Can I join you in a minute?' he asked. The woman nodded and left to wait outside. Lucas took one last glimpse of her friend.

'You'll be ok?' he asked.

She nodded. 'Yeah, sure. Go.' She assured.

He swallowed. 'I just don't understand what's wrong' he admitted.

She smiled. 'I'll tell you when you get back' she promised. Lucas smiled and gave a quick peck on her forehead. Lauren smiled. He smiled back before he got off the bed and took his way out the door. Lauren held one last sad smile before he turned the corner and disappeared.

--

They were sitting in Dr Calley's office for seconds before she started shooting her one thousand questions to him. Lucas got dizzy with the flow of questions.

'Woa...' he exclaimed.

'Sorry' Dr Calley said. 'I'll start again but slower now' she added. Lucas nodded.

'So how have you been since yesterday?'

He shrugged. These meetings were always leaving him cold and bitter. Whatever he felt before was gone when he was going to get his mental checked up.

'Could you try answering with words?' she said. Lucas rolled his eyes.

'Not bad, I guess…' he was hesitant.

'You guess?' she asked.

He shrugged again. 'It's hard to say…I can't tell exactly what I'm feeling' he moaned.

'Is it always like that?' she asked.

'For the past months…' he growled.

She nodded and wrote a few things down on the pad that had always appealed Lucas. He always wondered what she wrote on it and if she could use it against him.

'But is there one thing you are sure of?' she asked. Lucas looked at his fingers.

'That I've been better…' he said softly. She wrote some words on her pad again then put the pen down. Lucas looked at the pen then at his doctor.

'I'll have to ask you some questions…but we don't need to write it down, do we?' she said in a friendly tone. Lucas looked at her without wincing. She took it as a yes and smiled.

'Lucas, when exactly did things start to feel, let's say, weird?'

Lucas lowered his head. 'When I first told my mom about my dream…'

'And what did it do exactly?'

He shrugged. 'It hurt. I felt betrayed. She chose to believe my asshole of a father instead of believing me' he confessed. She nodded with a solemn look on her face.

'Any troubles sleeping?' she asked.

'Lately yes…' he admitted whilst looking at his fingers who suddenly felt really interesting.

'Eating?'

'Not that hungry…' he moaned.

'Your thoughts?' she asked. Lucas breathed deeply.

'Dark…I get lost in 'em a lot'

She nodded and clasped her hands together. She waited before going in again. She was finally getting what she wanted and he was opening up which was good.

'Have you had any other nightmares?' she inquired.

He nodded his head in agreement. 'Always the same one…' he added.

It was her turn to nod.

'What about your friends and your mom?'

'Which friends?' Lucas snapped. It came out too fast but left him to think about it afterwards. In the category 'friends', he could always consider Brooke and Lauren. Dr Calley studied him.

'Don't you have like four of five friends who are here every day?' she asked.

'I guess…I just don't know if they can be considered friends…'

'And why's that?'

Lucas was now passionately playing with his nails. 'They don't care…'

The woman's gaze now held so much compassion. 'Of course, they care! They've been here every day even when you refused to meet them! Your mom worried sick about you' she burst out.

Lucas's eyes didn't change. They stayed empty and cold.

'You don't trust me?' she asked with a hint of teasing in her voice.

'I don't know who I can trust anymore' he confessed. His eyes now burned in hot tears. She offered him her most sympathetic smile.

'It's ok' she said. Lucas knew she meant that it was okay for him to cry. He didn't have to make a big effort at it, the tears quickly rolled down his cheeks before he could stop them.

--

Haley, Nathan and Karen all waited in Dr Calley's office. Lucas had been sent to his last tests that would determine if he could go home in the next day. They waited and waited until she came in with her familiar pad. She sat in the chair in front of them and waited for a few seconds.

'Hi everyone, I'm Dr Calley, Lucas's therapist. I'm here with the official news' she said.

'Is he gonna be alright?' Haley spat almost immediately.

'I think he will' the therapist replied.

Everyone let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding.

'So I just got the results from the last test and they came out perfect. Lucas is out of harm way on that point' she announced.

'What's the other point?' Nathan asked, feeling the 'but' that was coming. There was something else.

'Normally, we'd let Lucas get out tomorrow if everything's fine but there's something we need to consider. I've been meeting with Lucas every day since he ODed and he showed some signs of depression. I would prefer to have him medicated but we can't let him go alone with medication after an incident like this. If it's ok with you, we would like to keep him at first just to make sure that when he leaves here, he is ready to be in society again' she explained.

It took several seconds for everyone to swallow all of this. Karen then nodded.

'If it's for the best…'

Dr Calley gave the sad mother her best smile. A genuine one.

--

_Lucas's POV_

So they got me inside that office for the second time today. I could barely make out what they were saying. I missed her too much. She said she'd wait for me and that was hours ago. I want to see her so bad. I know she's younger but no one ever made me feel the way she makes me feel.

They're talking. I can't concentrate enough to know what it's about. I think they're talking about me. Yeah, I just heard my name. What are they saying? Depression? Medication? No they're not talking about me, are they? Maybe they are.

I just want to see her. My mom's crying. I don't care. She betrayed me. She never trusted me. She's sad? Good. They're telling me I have to stay here. That means I'll get to see her. That's the greatest thing!

Ok now they're getting me back to my room. I feel it. She's there and she's waiting for me. Just a few steps ahead and I'll be lost in her eyes again. Nathan opens the door for me. I get into the room. It's empty.

It's too late. She's gone.

She really is. There are no sheets on the bed. It's empty. Like no one has ever been there. You erase a story to start another, pretending nothing happened. Where is she? She promised she'd tell me. She promised…

--

**Dun, dun, dun…hehe I'm cruel! Well I hope this chapter was long enough to get my long absence forgiven. Again, I am so sorry for the delay but I am doing my best to update frequently. Just tell me what you thought.**

**Next:**

**-how does Lucas handle life between the four walls**

**-where's Lauren**

**-friends reunion like, really they need to talk!**


	11. All Crashing Down

**A/N: I feel terrible. It is not fair of me to leave you guys hanging like this. I really am cruel…I still want to say a huge thanks to the amazing reviews I got so far. You guys are the best. If you can still cope with my long no-update periods then I guess this will go pretty far. You can all thank **One Tree Hill and Buffy Addict **for sending me a late yet awesome review that pulled like a huge wake-up call in my brains and got me back into this. I hope you guys don't hate me so bad for making you wait and for being a typo queen. Anyways, there goes the story…**

**PS. sorry for the little swearing in there :)**

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Lucas almost collapsed when he saw the empty bed. Nathan sensed it and caught him in time. He walked him to his bed and helped him down. The last news were still sinking in. he figured it must've been hard on his brother for him to lose balance like this.

But he didn't know. He knew nothing of it. Lucas didn't hear a word of what they were saying. He wanted her. He wanted to be with her. She was supposed to be there and wait for him. Then she was gone. But they didn't know…

Brooke got there in the same time the others got back into the room. Haley spotted her and took her apart. Apparently, she had to be the void for everyone else and for Brooke. She'd be that again. The one who had to break the news. God she was tired of it. She sighed. Brooke understood they were back from a meeting so she stayed silent, hoping for the best, dreading for the worse. Haley looked down, tears in her eyes. All this stress wasn't too good for her. It was even worse for the baby she was carrying.

'What is it, Hales?' Brooke finally asked.

Haley sighed. 'We just got back from his therapist's office…', then she trailed off. Brooke was hanging on her friend's lips, wanting to hear more. God, what was wrong? Haley looked into her friend's eyes. Brooke noticed the tears Haley carried. They fell in a way she couldn't stop them. The brunette was sobbing, not knowing about anything other than that saddened her best friend to the highest level.

'They have to keep him in' she blurted out.

Brooke didn't understand. Wasn't he getting better? Was he sick again? Why were they keeping him? She didn't have to ask. Haley kept going anyways.

'But it's not because of…well you know. No It's because they have to put him on medication and they're afraid it's too risky after what happened…' she explained.

Brooke nodded ever so slowly. There was a part that didn't make sense in what Haley said or she was the one who didn't understand too well.

'Medication for what?' she dared to ask.

Haley took a long and deep breath. 'For he is depressed. Well that's what she said. Our Lucas suffers from depression' she cried out. Brooke's lips started quivering. Seeing her friend cry made it worse…and true. Plus, she couldn't say the opposite after spending some time with the guy. Brooke saw it even though she refused to admit it.

Haley offered her friend a smile. 'And about we go in and have some chit chat with the others?' she proposed. Brooke nodded in agreement.

The others were already comfortable in the room. Lucas was sitting on the bed with the same look he held everytime he wasn't around Lauren. Karen was filling some forms for the drugs prescription and Nathan was awkwardly sitting in the room. The two girls approached the bed where Lucas sat.

He barely looked up. 'Hey buddy, you okay?' Brooke asked softly. Lucas stared up at her, looking so hurt. 'Where is she?' he murmured. His voice cracked. It was so low that someone who didn't know the guy had spoken would not have noticed at all.

'Who, Lucas?' Haley asked. Though the blonde never took his eyes away from Brooke. He never looked up to Haley because she didn't know. She never asked and she didn't know. That is how much he wanted her to care.

'I don't know' Brooke replied as softly as the question came.

'Who?' Nathan asked louder now. He noticed Luke not answering Haley and that bugged him. Now everyone was looking. Even Karen wasn't into filling forms anymore.

'Doesn't matter…' Lucas muttered. He was him again. The second Lucas. The tortured one and the one who was closing up to everyone. That pissed Nathan off.

'Look, Lucas, we can't help you if you keep shutting us down like that!' he jerked.

'Who said I wanted your help, Nate' Lucas spat coldly. Nathan's fist curled into balls. If he weren't in a hospital, he would have punched something.

'Lucas, would you stop being so goddamn full of yourself?! Please, you're not fooling anyone! You can't stand on your own! Look what happened the last time you refused any help!' the younger Scott half-shouted.

Lucas swallowed back. He wasn't getting into this. He sure as hell wasn't in the mood.

'I did ask your help, remember? You were too busy fucking Haley!' he murmured through gritted teeth.

'LUCAS!' Brooke shouted. He looked at her then found the floor and kept his eyes on that level. Nathan was above anger point. He was boiling and sick of his brother's attitude. Even though he was pissed off, he still found the way to remain calm after the last comment.

'How many times do I have to say that I'm sorry for that? I did apologize but apparently you're still mad at me for telling you that you were not calling in a good time…' he said so calmly that he could've fooled anyone.

'Were you even listening to me?' Lucas asked with a lump in his throat. Nathan bit his bottom lip.

'Do you remember what you replied to me?' Lucas went on again. Nathan held his so innocent little boy look. Of course, he didn't remember because he didn't even listen to him in the first place but he really haven't thought of it before. Was it his fault? Did Lucas say something to him that could have prevented all of this from happening if he had just listened?

'I don't' Nathan replied, full of shame. Lucas smiled, a smile that quickly turned into a pout. He couldn't cry there but it was obvious to anyone that he wanted to.

'What did I say?' Nathan asked. Lucas shook his head. He couldn't tell. He'd make everyone mad at Nathan. And sure, he didn't want to be mad either. But he didn't even know where that anger was coming from. Maybe if he did he could fight it. He didn't.

'Please Luke' Nathan begged.

'It's too late, Nate. You should've asked that night' Lucas replied. His voice cracked again. Even more than every time before. He was broken. Nathan had tears to his eyes as well. Unlike Lucas, he had a hard time keeping them back. Haley smothered a sob.

'I feel like it's my fault' she cried. Both boys turned their heads towards her.

'It's not' they said in one voice. After that, they looked at each other and smiled. The two young girls smiled as the two young boys were getting on the same line again. They all smiled at the realization. Maybe things would get back to normal. It would take time, of course, but nothing was impossible now.

'I remember what I said' Karen burst out. They all turned to her. She was crying.

'I do' she sobbed. Lucas's features hardened then softened.

Karen was trying to gain her breath back. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

'You said that if I was forcing you into anything, you'd leave…' she cried.

'Mom…' Lucas stuttered in between sobs. Nothing could stop her now.

'…And then I told you to leave and that it was fine with me', she was breaking down.

Lucas already felt the hot tears burn his eyes then his cheeks. He was crying too.

'I didn't mean it, of course! And I didn't want you to leave the way you did!' she whined. Lucas was crying too now as much as was everyone else. They realized how really bad that night had been on Lucas. So he'd call Nathan for help and his brother turned him down because he was busy. Then he called his mom and she told him to leave. Moreover, there was Peyton breaking up with him and nobody trusting him.

'I'm so sorry' Karen cried. Lucas stood to hug her. She was happy when he did and instantly hugged him back. 'It's ok' he whispered in her ear.

'And I guess then you're sorry for not trusting me' he added. She pulled away and looked at him frankly. 'I can't' she said. Lucas took uncertain steps backward.

'You can't what?' Lucas asked dreadfully.

'Trust you on that one. It doesn't make any sense.' She said with a nervous laugh.

Lucas kept rewinding further and further from his mom.

'You don't' he asked on a slow, monotonic tone.

She shook her head. 'I can't' she said. Lucas took one last step back.

'Fine then' he spat as he turned his back to her and started running. He ran as fast as he could and made it to the staircase. On that point, he rushed down the stairs and into the basement where he disappeared between the cars and into the cold outdoors night.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Karen stayed shell-shocked in the room while Nathan jumped in after his brother. The two other girls were horrified by what just happened. Brooke still had her hand over her mouth. Haley and she hugged after taking a long and shaky breath. Karen sat on the bed and cried some more. She could not believe it. His son ran away, again.

Nathan came back into the room, out of breath. Karen looked up at him and both girls ran his way. The teenager took a few seconds to gain his breath back then said 'I followed him down to the basement then I lost him…he's out…he left the building' Nathan jerked.

'Oh god!' Karen sobbed and took her head in her hands. This was just too much. Brooke sat down and tried comforting the crying mother but she ended up sobbing as well. On her side, Haley walked over Nathan and hugged him.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Dan was sitting on the terrace of his big beach house. The only sounds he got from the place were the waves crashing outside and the echo of his own breathings. He lifted the glass of scotch over to his lips and took one tiny swallow. Lately he had been thinking of one thing. Only one thing. His son.

He kept dreaming of his visit to the hospital and how he found the boy passed out on the bathroom floor. The kid looked so lost and weak. That saddened him because if it weren't from him finding out his secret, they were doing actually fine for the very first time. Dan was so happy he could finally have some great time with his other son. Not the son he raised but the son he always wanted to know about.

He wanted so bad just to be in the kid's life but his mom wouldn't let him. And why would she when she had every reason not to trust the man who claimed to be the father? The worse part of it is that he loved Karen so bad. He always loved her but he wanted to do the right thing for Deb since she was pregnant.

As he was thinking of his older son and his mom, Dan's phone rang into his pocket. He pulled it out. He had just gotten a new message. The old man pressed open.

_Dan,_

_I really need to talk to you. It's important. My house in 10. Bye. Karen xxx_

Dan smiled. Man, he loved her. That would be just his chance. God, he was lucky.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Karen walked into her house. She hadn't been there for a while and thought that she could take a quick shower before Dan actually got there. She walked into her room and then to the bathroom linked to it. She closed the door behind her and let her dirty clothes fall to the floor.

She walked over to the shower and turned the hot water on. She softly slid under the flow and let the water wash her sins away. It felt terribly good.

As she got out and wrapped a towel around her waist, she heard a noise at the door. Dan's voice came after that.

'I'm coming!' she yelled as she quickly put some sweatpants and a T-shirt on. She walked into the living kitchen where Dan was waiting for her. He was sitting at the table and waiting impatiently for what she had to say to him.

She walked in with a smile, which was odd considering the last events. Dan didn't know about it though, so he didn't mind and smiled right back taking it as everything was fine. But it wasn't, was it?

'So what did you want to talk about?' he asked while standing up to hug her.

She sent him a questioning look. 'What?' she asked.

Dan was getting lost. 'Well you wrote me, on my phone, saying we needed to talk' he explained. Karen was now the one who was getting lost in all of this.

'What?! No, no, no, you're the one who sent me a message saying we needed to talk!' she exclaimed. Dan sighed. Ah, these pregnant women are so lost sometimes, he thought.

'Yea, look YOU are the one who wrote to me' he said showing him the message he got earlier. She read.

_Dan,_

_I really need to talk to you. It's important. My house in 10. Bye. Karen xxx_

She held a big frown when she read. 'I never wrote this! Look!' she said handing him her phone. He read.

_Karen,_

_I really need to talk to you. It's important. Your house in 10. Bye. Dan xxx_

They were both really confused. Dan's head was the first to snap up. There was a figure standing in the dark living room.

'Sending little texts to your parents, Lukie?' Dan asked on his usual sarcastic tone. Lucas walked closer to them but just enough so they could see his face.

'Lucas?' Karen asked shocked and relieved at the same time to see he was there all along. She went to move and go towards him but his voice scared her.

'Don't move' he shouted. Karen stopped right there. 'Stay there'

'Who are you to talk like that to your mom, little moron?' Dan asked.

**'**DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE!' Lucas threatened. With that, he pulled his arm up.

'Don't you fucking move' he repeated, aiming the gun at both his parents.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

**Dun dun dun dun! Cliffie cliff! ****Man I love them! Again, I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long. I feel bad. I hope this chapter made it up to you for all the wait and well I forgot how I enjoyed writing this thing. Just been too caught up with summer and work and school and family issues…I hope you're not too mad for that. I hope you're also not mad for all my typos. Honestly I had to go through to whole story again to write this because I wanted to have all my points and I just found all my typos and I was like 'man that's awful..'**

**Still, keep being the good reviewers you guys are and I'll keep being the writer you guys want me to be (I can't bring myself to say good writer I am because you guys think so but reading your own work is kinda lame and pointless)**

**Anyways, enjoy what's left of your summer and I'll definitely be back sooner this time. I got some stuff in my mind that I wanted to do long time ago so we'll see what it gives.**

**Last little point on my babbling, I pulled up a poll on my page and started a forum. It's all about your comments on the 5****th**** season of OTH and what you want to see next so go vote and go send me your impressions, I'll be honored to share my opinions with you guys.**

**Alright, see you next time! **


	12. Bitterest Truth

**A/N: I'm not too late am I? As you can see, it did not take as much time as it usually did lately to update this. I was just waiting for some reviews and well whatever here's the new update.**

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

'Don't you fucking move' Lucas repeated.

A wave of dark coldness crossed the room. Karen was terrified when she saw what her son was holding in his hand. This little shinny thing you wish you will never see anywhere else than on TV. As you think those things can never happen to you, you close your eyes on the rest of it and do not realize that life really as a thing with getting in the way. She was too busy worrying about her son that she never thought he would actually send messages to both his parents to get them to meet and then come up with a gun and shove it in their face. She could have thought right there that this wasn't the Lucas she knew but then again she didn't because she didn't know him at all. Everything that he had been up to was a blur, a total mystery to her.

Dan smiled. When his son held a gun, the only thing he could think of doing was smile. The last time he saw his son, he was angry with him. He was in fact angry with the rest of the world. Even if he didn't think that he would come up with a gun, he still thought some good of the kid because it must take a lot of guts to wave a firearm at your parents.

'Lucas, what are you doing with a gun?' his mother asked dreadfully.

The teen didn't flinch. It was like his mother's compassion just didn't get to him because he didn't have any compassion for her anymore. She was like a stranger to him and he didn't care about hurting a stranger.

'I'm gonna set things right for once' he spat in cold blood. He still had the barrel aiming right into his father's face. One move and the old man would end with a bullet through his head. Dan laughed.

'Oh yeah?! What are you gonna do, bastard? Shoot me maybe?' he giggled. Lucas wasn't laughing. He was too serious about this to just goof around. Karen was shaking.

'Lucas put the gun down, now!' Karen cried.

'Listen to your mother, Lucas' Dan added behind her. As much as he admired the kid's guts, he didn't want anyone to get hurt. He had gotten his composure back and stopped talking with that hint of laughter in his voice. This was serious.

'I don't have a mother' Lucas replied coldly. His voice was so cold. His parents couldn't even recognize him anymore. The kid had never been this way. He would _never_ hurt _anyone_. Lucas was always too weak and sensitive to hurt anybody. He always wanted what was best for everyone and never let anyone down.

Karen shrieked when he said this. She knew he was too far gone now and she couldn't stop him. 'Why are you doing this?' she cried.

'I told you. I'm going to set things right once and for all' he replied. His voice was cold and motionless. It was as if a robot had taken over her son's body and spoke through his mouth.

'What do you mean exactly?' asked Dan who was pissed off about this and he just couldn't wait for it to end. Lucas started breathing heavily. He was sweating and his right eye started to twitch. He was far from fine.

'I want the truth' he said, his voice blown. 'I want you, Dan, to tell my mom about what you did. She won't trust me but I'm sure she will listen to you' Lucas jerked in a louder voice than before and putting emphasis on his father's name as if he thought it would sound more powerful. Karen started crying.

'Stop it, Lucas! I'm so sick of you blaming Dan for it. Keith is dead. Get over it!' she wept. Lucas's breath became even more erratic.

'He did it. I know he did. TELL HER!' Lucas shouted, taking a huge step forward to pull himself out of the dark and let Dan know he was going to shoot if anything went wrong. Dan sighed.

'Lucas you are delusional. What are you doing out of the hospital so soon? We should call the police, Karen, pick the pho…' he started but Lucas's angry voice cut him off.

'DON'T YOU DARE CALL ANYONE' he shouted. 'Or I'll shoot…' he added. Beads of sweat ran down his brow and his eye kept twitching.

'I know you won't' Dan said calmly. 'So why don't we discuss things over instead of having this here with the gun. Please Lucas, put it down' he continued. Lucas shook his head frantically.

'Not until I hear what I want to hear' he growled. Karen was holding onto Dan's arm. She had never been this scared of her son before.

'He didn't do it, Lucas!' she cried. Lucas nodded his head. 'He did!'

'Say it Dan! SAY IT YOU MOTHERFUCKER! Tell us what you did or I kill you in cold blood...just like YOU killed my dad. My real father!' he threatened still waving the gun. Dan shook his head. He didn't say a word.

'You're getting so lousy at this, Dan' Lucas continued. 'Then maybe a can use something a little more convincing…' he added. A long and cold shiver went down Karen's spine when he said this. She didn't know how bad it really was until she realized it was way 

worse than bad. Lucas pulled the hammer back and turned the barrel that was once on Dan.

'Will you tell her now?' Lucas asked with the most inhuman voice Karen had ever heard. If she weren't that strong, she would've passed out right at the sight of the barrel. She shrieked. Dan's breath caught up in his throat.

'Lucas…' he breathed.

'Tell her or I blow my brains out' he threatened, holding the barrel up on his temple.

'Lucas!' Karen whined.

'Say it, Dan!' Lucas ordered.

'No'

'What, you're scared now? You wouldn't want this to sabotage your reputation'

'I don't want you to die' Dan admitted. Lucas let out a cold laugh at the newest revelation.

'How sweet. Say it!'

'No' Dan insisted.

'SAY IT!

'NO!'

'Then I shoot' Lucas sighed, sliding his finger on the trigger.

'DON'T!' Dan begged.

'Why not?! I'm worthless!' Lucas cried.

'No you're not! You're just depressed but you'll get better!' His father tried. Lucas was now crying uncontrollably.

'I never will! He's gone and you killed him! SAY IT YOU MOTHERFUCK! I KNOW YOU DID IT SO JUST SAY IT!' Lucas had his finger right on the trigger and ready to pull.

'FINE! YOU HAPPY? I CONFESS! I SHOT KEITH! I walked back into the school, picked up the gun and killed him…' Dan confessed as he started crying as well.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Haley and Nathan went back home. They were both really tired. Nathan led his wife to the Scott mansion where they now lived with Deb. They let themselves fall on the couch. Haley pulled her hair back in a bun and started running her hand on her rounded stomach. Nathan smiled at this and put his hand on hers.

'I can't believe we're having a baby' he said.

'And I can't believe Lucas ran away like this! Who knows where he is now! Maybe he's in some alley somewhere alone and dying!' Haley sighed. Nathan looked deeply into her eyes.

'Hey, I know it's been difficult for you the past days. I mean with Luke trying to…with his OD, we barely took care of each other and we missed some school to see him and well…I know he's not exactly fine right now. I mean mentally. But other than that, I'm sure that right now he is just fine, wherever he is.'

Haley smiled. He had such a gift that he could say anything to her and that would only make her feel better. He was always out looking for her and making sure she was coping well and that's why she loved him. That's why she married him in the first place and accepted to spend the rest of her life with him. He was always so charming and just his presence could make all the wrong go away.

'You're right…God I love you for always making me feel better' she smiled. Nathan replied with a warm 'I love you too' and they shared a long and passionate kiss. Then Haley jumped.

'I totally forgot about school!'

'Hales, you're not thinking about your homeworks right now, are you?'

'No, no, it's not that, Nathan. Tomorrow is our graduation day and I haven't written my valedictorian speech yet. Nathan's eyes widened.

'Tomorrow is graduation?'

Haley nodded.

'I totally forgot!'

'Me too! But now I have to write that freaking speech!'

She went all nervous about it when she stood to find some paper. She sat at the coffee table in the living room and started to write what first came into her mind. When Nathan saw her rip the third page she had tried to write, he understood that this would be really long so he decided to make some coffee to help them last. Haley tried to focus but with 

all the stress, she couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. Then a spark of inspiration hit her and she took her pen and started to write…

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Brooke went back to the apartment where Peyton and she moved in. The blonde was watching a soap when Brooke walked in.

'You're home late' she stated. Brooke sent her a glare then turned back to her stuff. They hadn't really talked since the night she met Lucas at Tric. Brooke thought Peyton was in the wrong for leaving Lucas alone like this but she wasn't exactly a judge of what was right and what was wrong. She wasn't mad at her but she just couldn't talk to her.

'Brooke, are you mad at me?' Peyton suddenly asked out of the blue.

'I'm not, why?'

Peyton sighed. 'You just didn't talk to me since the thing with Lucas' she explained. It was now Brooke's turn to sigh.

'The thing? Is that what you call his suicide attempt?' she asked in a cold voice. Peyton shrugged. The only thought of it gave her shills. Brooke's shoulders dropped as she plopped herself on the couch. After a little while, Peyton heard some muffled cries. She turned and saw her friend in tears.

'Brooke…'

'He ran away' she cried. Peyton looked at her with question marks filling her eyes.

'Tonight. Lucas took off from the hospital…' she explained. Peyton's jaw dropped at the news.

'But is he ok?' she stuttered. Brooke shook her head.

'Of course not! You should have seen the look in his eyes when Karen told him she couldn't believe him. He was broken! Peyton, Luke is depressive. I'm so scarred he'll do something stupid again!' she wept. Her friends opened her arms and wrapped them around Brooke's body. The brunette accepted the embrace and let herself cry into the blonde's shoulder.

'I care about him too much, if something happens…' Brooke started but Peyton cut her off. 'He'll be fine' she assured.

'How do you know?'

'I just do'

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Karen's heart skipped a beat at Dan's confession. Lucas was right all along. Her whole body jerked as she ran to the sink and threw up. Dan was too busy with Lucas to notice. The teen was crying. He was still holding the gun against his head.

'I knew you did. I knew it…' he cried. Dan was crying too now.

'Why?' Lucas sobbed.

'I was jealous' Dan said in pure honesty.

'I can't deal with it. It's too big. It feels like there's a big monster inside of me and he is eating me from there!'

'Don't let it get the best of you' Dan begged.

'You shut up! Murderer'

'I know and you can hate me all you want but don't pull that trigger, I'm begging you!'

'What's the point?' Lucas asked in a sudden change of voice. He wasn't crying anymore. It was like he was already gone. Dan shook his head. 'Just don't' he begged.

Lucas cried as his finger pressed the trigger.

'LUCAS!' Dan yelled as he ran to his son and knocked the gun out of his hands. The shot went off and hit the wall. As soon as the arm hit the floor, Dan grabbed it and tossed it behind him so Lucas couldn't take it back. The teen was on his knees and crying like a baby while holding his head.

'Why did you stop me?!' he shouted at the man. Dan's heart was still racing from the events.

'I couldn't lose you…'

'You should have let me die!'

'You did it…' came another voice. A disgusted voice. Dan turned around to see Karen standing in the doorframe. Her face and eyes were puffy red from all the crying but she wasn't crying anymore.

'Karen…'

'All this time I protected you and you were the one who did it!' she said. The wrath was rising inside her guts and she would spill really soon.

'I can explain…'

'I lost my son because of you!' she shouted. Dan swallowed. Karen bent down to pick something up.

'Now you know what it's like' she snapped. Her voice was cold as she aimed the gun at Dan.

'Karen…'

'You're dead to me'

With that, she let her finger wander and find the trigger. Seconds later a loud bang filled the air. The eldest man fell to the floor. Lucas sat back, terrified. Then he looked up at his mom who was still holding the smoking gun. Lucas was now breathing really fast. He couldn't believe what just happened. Karen broke down in tears and fell on her knees.

With what little composure Lucas had left, he picked himself up and ran to his mother.

'Mom, you gotta get out of here!' he breathed. Karen looked up at her son.

'Just go. I'll take care of it. Go and call the police once you're out' he ordered.

She shook her head. 'No, Luke.'

'Please mom, just get up and go. You have a baby that you have to take care of. Keith's baby. Go' he pleaded.

She didn't need to be told twice. She stood and walked away. Karen stopped at the door and turned back.

'I love you too, mom. Now go' he begged. She smiled through her tears and walked away.

Lucas turned back to Dan. His head was turn to the floor as he lay in a pool of blood.

'Oh god…' he whispered as he bent down to take a pulse. There was still one but the guy was unconscious. Soon enough the sirens could be heard as they only got closer. The police walked inside the house and found Lucas standing next to his dying father.

'What happened?' one of the cops asked.

'I…I did it. I shot him' he stuttered.

'Sir I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the body and put your hands in the air. You are under arrest'

Lucas had only made one step aside when he collapsed. The cop ran up to him. When the paramedics came in, he waved for them to come over.

'He's the one who did it. He just passed out.' the cop announced. The medic pressed his fingers on Lucas's wrist.

'I don't think so…'

'What?' the cop asked at the look the medic held.

'I don't have a pulse…'

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

**Another cliffhanger for my favorite readers! I'm sorry I can't help it. This chapter was quite long but I guess I had a lot that I wanted to put on paper. I know this chapter was really dark but the story needed that chapter to move on. Well I hope you liked it and wanna have more. I don't know exactly how long I'm going to keep this story up. Depends if everyone dies or not. That is your role in the story. If you want me to keep writing, you'll have to send me your opinions and ideas in a nice review. What do you think should happen next? We'll see. Thanks for reading. **


	13. Take The Blame

**A/N: Thank you guys SO much for the amazing reviews I got so far. They really make me whole when I read them. Please don't stop! Now, enjoy this new awaited chapter. **

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

_'He's the one who did it. He just passed out.' the cop announced. The medic pressed his fingers on Lucas's wrist._

_'I don't think so…'_

_'What?' the cop asked at the look the medic held._

_'I don't have a pulse…'_

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

What is this all about? This crazy little thing called life. You spend yours trying to help others and make the best of your days and for what? At the second you go defenseless, it stabs you in the back. You spend your days wondering if the time you spend her really makes an impact on the world around you. Does it even matter to others if you are not fine, if you hurt, if you cry…

You will just go on wondering if you really have a purpose here. If the time you waste trying to make sense of it is really worth the shot. At the second you turn your back on the good path you've been trying to maintain, life gets to you. What is this all about…

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

There was a strange feeling in his whole body. His body was gone but he could still catch some parts of what was going on around. He heard voices, voices he didn't know. What were they saying? _He's crashing…_, he heard them say. What does that mean exactly? Does it explain the weird feeling in his whole being? Suddenly, he felt some kind of jolt that forced his body to curl. He heard them again. They were shouting. He didn't know what this was all about, he only felt empty and cold.

There was a rough stop in the motion he felt. It was like the earth stopped spinning. Lucas softly opened his eyes. At first, everything was dark. It didn't feel wrong, though. In fact, it felt incredibly light and peaceful. He started walking only to find something that looked like a large park. The whole ground was covered in snow. A dog almost ran him over when he ran his way to catch the ball a young boy threw over there. On a bench not that far away, an old couple shared laughs and smiles.

Lucas felt something fall on his nose. He looked up to see the golden snowflakes that were starting to fall. He stretched his arms to catch them and realized it wasn't cold. The snow only melted into water on his skin but he didn't feel the cold.

'When I said we would see each other again, I didn't think it would be so soon' a giggling voice said. Lucas's blood froze in his veins. He spun around see the laughing face of his uncle.

'Keith…' he said suddenly out of breath.

'You know Lucas, you gotta stop doing this. Not that I hate these meetings, I just think they're inappropriate with the situation' Keith giggled.

'Sorry. I didn't do anything this time' Lucas replied guiltily. Keith sighed.

'No but you were going to. If Dan hadn't pushed the gun away…', he trailed off. Lucas didn't say a word. Instead, he looked at the ground below. Keith got closer enough to put both his hands on his nephew's shoulders.

'What happened, Lucas?'

Lucas shrugged. He couldn't explain it. In fact, he had not planned anything of it. He just saw the gun and then it was like somebody else took over him and did all the things he did.

'It wasn't me', Lucas said still staring at the ground. Keith was dumbfounded now.

'What do you mean' he asked.

'It was the beast', Lucas said innocently. 'The one that's growing in my guts…I was not in control' he added with tears in his eyes. Keith offered the kid a sympathetic smile.

'I've got some major depression thing, Keith. I don't know how it came but I can't make it go away. I've tried but it seems like everytime I see a light, someone comes and burn it off' Lucas cried. Tears were streaming down his face now.

'Hey', Keith said cupping the boy's face with his hands. 'you're strong. Don't ever forget that. I know you can pull through. I'll be here for you' he added with the most sincere smile. Lucas shook his head.

'Yeah, right. Where were you when I needed you?' he wept. Keith shrugged but didn't give in.

'I think you should just go back'

'Why?' Lucas asked in despair.

'If you die it's gonna kill them'

Lucas didn't know what to think until the faces of three girls came back into his mind. He thought of one in particular. When he snapped out of his reverie, he saw a figure farther down the park. He wondered for a second before his heart skipped a beat when he recognized the person.

'Lauren', he whispered. The girl held a sad smile before she disappeared. Lucas immediately turned to Keith.

'Am I dead? I mean, is this heaven?' he asked quickly.

'I don't know, is it?' Keith asked with a smile.

'Man, you really suck at this Keith…'

They both laughed.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Inspector Higginson was studying the crime scene to try to fill up his report. The gun was brought into a laboratory to study the fingerprints and bullets. After all, they had to make sure the bullet really came from that gun.

Dan was admitted to the hospital soon after they found him. The man was still alive but barely. He had a gunshot wound to the chest, one that pierced his right lung but did not reach his heart. For now, he was maintained in an artificial comatose state.

The prime suspect was, of course, Lucas Scott because he admitted it himself, although something felt absolutely wrong. Higginson wasn't convinced that Lucas did it but the only thing he could do was wait till Dan Scott awoke so he could speak for himself.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

A couple of days passed. Haley had an incredible success with her valedictorian speech and all the Tree Hill High seniors got their diplomas. Haley made sure Lucas got it even though he was still unconscious after his heart attack. She went to see him every day. When she was there, she would either speak to him or read to him. The girl knew just how much the old Lucas liked the smell of books so she took that occasion to read him books.

Nathan passed by too. He wasn't there like Haley was but he came along with his wife, also to make sure she would get back home. No one really knew what happened the night Dan was shot and Lucas had a heart attack. They only thing that was pretty clear is that Karen vanished. No one had seen her since the night of the shooting. The police weren't looking after that because no one ever told them that there was a third person that night. The only two people that could confirm were in a coma at the time being.

It was the fourth day now. Haley was starting to get somewhat desperate. She started to wonder if her friend would ever wake up. She even asked herself if he even wanted to. That's when Brooke walked in for the first time in four days. Haley smiled and let the two of them alone. The brunette took the boy's hand in hers.

'Hey Broody, you know you have to stop doing this. Twice in a few weeks is not exactly fair play', as she said that, tears rolled down her face.

'You should see me. I'm ashamed of myself, crying like a baby…I'm sorry I just don't know what I would do without you…'

'It's okay', a weak, faint voice replied.

'Lucas?' she asked, turning on to his sleeping form. She gently squeezed his hand to let him now she was there. He replied softly by using the same gesture she used.

'Open your eyes, Broody' she pleaded, patting his forehead. He slowly did, revealing shinning baby blues.

'Hey Pretty Girl' he greeted, his voice low and raspy. She smiled in her tears.

'Welcome back' she said. He smiled back to her.

'How are you feeling?' she asked.

'Fine' he said and he winced as he did so.

'Luke, cut the crap! I want the truth' she growled.

He sighed. 'I feel like shit. There are some parts of my body that are hurting that I didn't even know were there' he admitted. She smiled.

'Sorry'

Lucas rolled his eyes. Then a flash came back to his mind.

'Have you heard anything about Lauren?' he asked shyly.

'Not really. I'm sorry, buddy. Why?' she asked.

'Just wanted to know…' he replied hiding the fact that he had seen her in his dreams and he didn't know if what he thought was true. He didn't know if she was dead. She nodded and stood, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

'I'm glad you're okay and by okay I mean alive', she confessed. Lucas gave her a soft, genuine smile. 'I'll go get Haley. I think she really wants to see you' she added. Lucas nodded and Brooke went out to get Haley. She found her with Nathan. Getting closer, she sent them a reassuring smile.

'What is it?' Haley jerked when seeing the smile.

'He's awake…', that's all she could say before Haley jumped on her feet and ran to the room. Nathan smiled at Brooke and followed his wife. Haley was already in Lucas's arms when Nathan walked in.

'Nathan…', Lucas greeted with a smile. Nathan thought his brother's voice was faint and tired but he was happy to see him alive at last.

'Hey Bro. You okay?' he asked.

'Been better but I think I'll be fine now' he replied as they pounded fists. Nathan's throat was dry. It wasn't only because of the way his brother looked so small compared to all the bricks that kept falling upon him. It was also because his dad, their dad, was in a room with a gunshot wound and Lucas said he was the one who did it.

'Listen Luke, I need to know if you were the one who shot Dan…' he spat directly. Lucas's smile faded. He became silent again. At this right moment, the nurse came in to kick everyone out, saving Lucas from an awkward moment.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

In another room not that far away, a man stirred in his bad. The sharp pain he felt in his chest was enough to make even the proudest person weep in pain. He slowly gained awareness of his surroundings when the doctor walked back into the room.

'Welcome back, Mr. Scott' he greeted. Dan growled in pain as the man in white lab coat shined a light into his eyes.

'Your right lung was pretty damaged but you should be fine. Now if you need anything, don't be shy to ask' he explained. Dan gave the slightest nod before staring blankly.

'If you don't mind, the police would like to have a word with you' the doctor proposed. Dan nodded softly and a tall and large cop walked inside the room.

'Hi Mr. Scott. I'm inspector Higginson and I'm the one assigned to your case. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions…' he said. Dan simply nodded.

'Does the name of Lucas Scott rings a bell to you?' the cop asked. Dan sent him a dark look.

'Because Lucas, who I believe is your son, confessed that he was the one who shot you' he added. Dan's gaze darkened even more.

'Lucas didn't do anything' Dan said in his weakest voice.

'Do you know who did?' the cop threw in again. Dan lowered his eyes to his hands.

After a long silence where he thought of what he would say, he ended up throwing some answer.

'I did…' he whispered, his head still down.

'I beg your pardon' the cop said.

'I shot myself' Dan growled louder now, snapping his head back up so the cop wouldn't ask again.

'Sir that's impossible', the inspector said. Dan made a sign for him to come over. The cop walked closer to the bed and leaned so he was at Dan's level. Dan grabbed the man's shirt with a firm grip. It hurt so badly when he did but he had to do what he was about to do.

'Listen to me. I'm the mayor in this town. I own it. Don't cause any trouble because you know like I do that your little mommy is sick. You do not want me to take everything away from her, do you?', he threatened. Higginson looked at him with a look a pure fear in his eyes.

'This is how we do it now, in my rules. File your report like you want but make sure to write that this was a suicide attempt. I did this. I give you one thousand dollars to close the case. Understand?' he spat. The cop nodded his head in a too quick motion to look natural. Dan smiled.

'I think we both understand the situation. I'll make sure you to send the check to your mom's house. Now get out!' Dan ordered. The cop didn't wait to be told a second time. Dan held a wide grin onto his face as he slipped into the darkness of a deep slumber.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

**It's all I can deliver for now. I'm trying to catch up and update my different stories so I'm working on that. I hope you liked this chapter. If there were typos in there, well I'm sorry. I don't know, tonight I seem to have a thing for typos. Pardon my mistakes if you like it so far. Don't forget to review. **

**THANKS FOR READING THIS, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**


	14. What Dreams May Come

**A/N: Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to the people I know are loyal reviewers but also to the ones who just stopped by to leave a comment. This means so much to me! I am sorry if I'm taking so long to update but life always seems to get in the way. This doesn't mean that I'm forgetting about you guys and eventually, I'd like to finish my stories. I just have to find the time and interest to do so. Sorry again for my lateness and consider this an early Christmas gift (or whatever other holiday you celebrate). Thanks again and enjoy this chapter!**

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

A couple of days passed. Like Dan had expected it, the case of the shooting was close. In a way, he felt proud of what he did because even though Karen hated him now, he would not get her or Lucas behind bars for a thing he felt he deserved.

Lucas was getting somewhat better too. The doctor had prescribed him to a lot of bed rest. Fortunately for him, he had a lot of friends to come and visit. Even Mouth and Skills and some other guys from the river court stopped by to say hi. Lucas was pleased. The only thing that kept annoying him was the nurse. She was constantly in his room to tell everyone to leave or to take it easy with him like if he were made of porcelain.

During all the time he was in bed, the person he got closer to was Brooke. She was always there for him and she made him laugh when everyone else made him feel helpless and weak. She had become his confident. He could tell her everything from what he felt to the dreams he had or the ideas he got. She was also some kind of a spy. He sent her around to see if she could get news on Lauren. Seeing the look in Lucas' face when he talked about her made her agree to do it. After all, she couldn't refuse him that service.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Lucas was watching TV in his room. He was sitting on the bed with a tray of food next to him. Still, it remained untouched. Lucas wasn't hungry but even if he were, he wouldn't be eating that crap. He didn't hear a thing until a light cracking. He only had the time to turn his head then it was too late. There was a little boy standing next to him. The boy was holding the snack Brooke brought him when he refused to eat. The little man was grinning.

'Who are you? And give me back my snack!' Lucas shouted, taken by surprise at the kid's arrival. The little guy shook his head no and ran off the room. 'Hey!' Lucas shouted. He pushed his sheets back and started running after the little boy.

In his run, the kid kept turning his head towards Lucas and sticking out his tongue. That made Lucas mad and he ran faster. For a guy who just had a heart attack, he was putting up pretty well. He ran a little more when he hit something…or someone. It was his doctor.

'Lucas, what the hell are you doing out of bed?!' he asked.

'This kid took something from me!' he blunted, pointing to the kid. The little man stuck his tongue out again.

'I can't let you run around! You're not even supposed to be walking!' the doctor growled.

Lucas looked around quickly. 'Ok then!' he spat before jumping into one of the wheel chairs and rolling himself after the boy. The doctor was dazed and confused but decided not to go after him. Stubborn as the teenage was, it was to no avail.

The boy ran into an elevator and closed the doors. Lucas growled when he was too late. An idea crossed his mind. He waited there until the elevator stopped…on the 4th floor.

'So easy…' he muttered. When the elevator was free again, he got into it and wheeled himself to the 4th floor. The kid was nowhere to be seen. Lucas looked around but it was useless. There was a nurse behind a desk so he wheeled over there.

'Sorry 'mam, have you seen a little boy running around here? He just got out of the elevator with a chocolate bar in his hands…' he asked the woman.

'You mean Tommy? He ran straight back into his room' she answered with a smile. Lucas nodded.

'And which room is that?'

The woman smiled and pointed to a room at the end of the corridor. Lucas smiled.

'Thanks' he added before wheeling himself to that room.

This room was big. It was not like the one he had on his floor where he only shared the place with a hold woman who was getting a risky surgery. It was huge. There were at least six beds and each one of them had a kid laying on it. Some were normal looking and were talking with their families, others looked so sick with their pale faces and the tubes sticking out of their arms and face. Lucas had to have a smile of sympathy.

Then he saw the boy. The one kid who stole his snack. He was sitting on the last bed. The woman, who, he assumed, was the kid's mother was reading the papers, not even bothering to look at the kid. Lucas wheeled himself over there. Tommy, the little boy saw him and a sad look crossed his face.

He stiffened on the bed and the motion made the woman look up. She saw Lucas coming over and gave him a strange look. Lucas gave her his most brilliant smile.

'So hi. You're Tommy, right?' Lucas asked the little boy with all the kindness of the world. The kid, obviously shy, nodded slightly.

'I believe this is mine' he said motioning to the chocolate bar in the kid's hands. With the saddest look on his face and slumped shoulders, Tommy gave Lucas his snack back. The look on the boy's face broke Lucas' heart. He sighed and then smiled.

'You know what, I have an idea. How about we share this snack and then you can tell me a little about yourself' Lucas proposed with a smile. I brought back every light in the kid's face. He nodded with a grin.

'I'd like that' he said in a little, weak voice. Lucas smiled back. He unwrapped the bar and split it in two. He gave the biggest half to Tommy and kept the other one for himself. Tommy ate his part with good appetite.

'So, do you go to school?' Lucas asked. The kid nodded fiercely. Lucas nodded too.

'Really?! Then you must have a lot of friends!' he added. Tommy started laughing.

'How old are you, Tommy?'

The kid thought for a second and with a fierce look in his eyes, he struck out six of his fingers. Lucas giggled.

'Oh! So you're six?! Wow you're a big boy now!' he exclaimed. Tommy was giggling too.

'How did you like your snack, big boy?' Lucas laughed.

'T'was good' Tommy chuckled. Then he noticed a doctor leaning on the doorframe. He stared at him for mere seconds. Lucas poked back to see what the kid was looking at. He saw his doctor in the doorway. He was smiling. Lucas sighed. He knew what that meant.

'Hey kiddo, listen, I have to go back to my room, ok. But when you feel like it, come to my room, alright. I will make sure to keep plenty of these chocolate bars just for you' Lucas announced. Tommy smiled. Lucas passed a hand through the kid's hair and then wheeled himself over the door.

'Bye Lucas!' he heard. He spun around to see Tommy waving at him. He gave him a nod before getting out. Once they left the room, Lucas looked at his doctor.

'Look, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be here.' Lucas uttered. The man smiled.

'It's ok! You surely made that kid's day.' The doctor approved. Lucas smiled.

'What exactly is wrong with Tommy? And those kids in the room?' he asked, feeling as though maybe he shouldn't be. That wasn't exactly his business. The doctor must've read his mind because he smiled before talking.

'Don't feel bad to ask, it's ok. I just thought that, at your age, you could read' the man chuckled. Lucas was confused before he looked up to the floor description panel. He was in the palliative care. Those kids he saw were fighting cancer. That broke his heart. They were so young and innocent. He passed in front of another room. His heart stopped beating right away. This couldn't be.

There she was. Lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Even asleep, she looked in pain. Her features were hardened by the struggle she was going through. She wasn't the little blast, full of energy anymore. She was weak. She was sick.

Lucas wasn't sure if he could go in there. Fighting the thought, he wheeled himself inside the room. There was nobody with her. She was left alone to fight this on her own.

'Lauren?' Lucas dared to ask. His voice was stuck in his throat. It came out almost like a weep. There was barely any change in her motionless form.

'Lauren?' he asked again, this time a little louder. She stirred softly. Her gray eyes opened really slowly and they searched the room to lay right on him. A soft smile stretched upon her pained face.

'Luke. I thought you were gone for good' she whispered.

Lucas was hesitant. 'Well I went back home to end up here again' he confessed.

'You couldn't stand it without me' she joked. Even in her worst moments, she could still crack a joke. Lucas smiled, although he didn't know if that was the proper reaction to have.

'Actually, you're right. It felt so wrong without you…' he said then regretted it. It slipped out of nowhere but it was the truth. He just didn't want to scare her. Unexpectedly, she smiled. 'Don't make that face, Lukie. I missed you too!' she replied. Lucas let out a breath of relief. He didn't make a fool of himself after all.

'Do you wanna get married?' Lucas spat out suddenly. Lauren's eyes widened. 'What?!'

'Do you wanna get married?' Lucas repeated.

Lauren was shocked. 'No! I mean, it's not that I don't love you, I really do. I just, I promised myself that I would never get married!' she explained, seeing the hurt in Lucas' face.

'Why not?' he asked.

'Because! What's the point in getting married?! It's what everyone does and honestly, it never lasts! In the end, everyone gets hurt and that sucks! I mean what's the point in belonging to only one person for the rest of your life?!' she ranted on. Lucas was softly laughing. Even though she turned him down, she was still the good old Lauren he liked so much. She could be half-dead but she would still make a whole speech about what pissed her off.

'What makes you laugh?'

'You' Lucas replied. She smiled.

'I don't want to marry you…but we could be engaged' she proposed. Lucas' face lit up.

'This way, we'd still be connected to each other but we would never get married' she added. Lucas smiled.

'I think I have just what we need for it.' he confessed before leaving the room in a hurry.

'I'll be right back'

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Brooke was pacing back in fourth in the room. Lucas was supposed to bed on bed rest so where the hell could he be other than in bed? She sighed when he wheeled through the door and into his room.

'Brooke! Just the one person I needed!' he exclaimed, so happy to see her. He was literally glowing. Brooke had to smile.

'Dude, I don't know what drugs they give you but I want some!' she joked. Lucas looked at her, confused.

'You just seem happy. It's good to see you like that' she added. Lucas smiled.

'I found her! Lauren! I'm gonna propose to her!' he blurted out. It was Brooke's turn to be confused now.

'What? You're gonna ask her to marry you? Luke! How old is she? Like 15 or 16!!' she jerked. Lucas shook his head frantically.

'No no no, we're not getting married. Just engaged. She doesn't want to marry me because she hates weddings. But she'd like us to be engaged, Brooke! I love her!' he chimed. Brooke sighed. He really was happy.

'I need your help though…oh and could you bring more of these chocolate snacks. They were delicious!'

Brooke sighed. 'Ok, what do you want?'

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

Lucas was covering Lauren's eyes with his hands. He had gotten the help of his and Lauren's doctor to prepare everything for his proposal. Seeing the teenager so happy, both doctors agreed to help. That's how Lucas got to lead Lauren, hands on her eyes, to their special place.

'You can look now' he chimed. She opened her eyes. The sky above was turning pink and red. Far away, the shinning sun was drawing its reverence, now letting enough space for the silver moon to rise above the city. The stars were dancing in the sky tonight. Just for Lucas and Lauren, they put on silver dresses and danced in the endless sky. A cold breeze blew in the air of this warm summer night. There were hardly any clouds to hide the window in the sky.

Lauren was amazed. They were on the roof of the hospital. Lucas had set up a table for two. It was their place. Their refuge from the world. Tonight, it was just them.

'Lucas, it's beautiful! But how do you know we won't get caught?' she asked.

'Because my doctor gave me the keys and yours had us a table and blankets if ever we got cold' Lucas replied, shining. Lauren smiled. This was too beautiful to be true. After a long silence, Lucas led her to the table.

'Shall we have this diner?'

She nodded with sunbeams in her eyes. Thanks to Brooke, that had something else than tasteless hospital cardboard food. For the time of a diner, they forgot about the problems, the pain and the lies. They were together against the world. Then came the moment Lucas was longing for. He came and kneeled in front of her.

'Lauren,' he started. She was blushing. ', I love you. I cannot be without you. My heart is racing when I'm with you and I'm dying without you…' he added. Lauren had tears in her eyes.

'Lauren Roberts, would you be my fiancé?' he asked, opening the little velvet box in his hand. There was a ring…but not the kind of ring Lauren would have expected. It was a plastic ring, like the ones you find in the machines, with a glowing plastic heart on it.

'What? You don't like it?' Lucas asked seeing the look on her face.

She looked straight at him. 'I love it' she replied. 'And yes, I would love to be your fiancé!' she added. Lucas' smile grew so high, it was almost reaching his ears. He quickly put the ring on her finger and grabbed her by the waist. With a swing, he lifted her up and spun on himself. She let out loud laughs and giggles. They were just so happy. Lucas finally put her down. They stared at each other for a long time, getting lost in each other's eyes. Lauren's were turning turquoise. Lucas couldn't wait any longer. He pressed his lips against hers, holding her tighter, afraid to let her go as if she would disappear if he did. There they were, united and in love, nothing could stop them now and for the first time, they learned to let their guard down and give it all away for the one they loved.

7**MINUTES**_**IN**_HEAVEN

**God I loved this chapter! I don't know if you guys did, but a little light in this story was just what it needed. I really needed Lauren back in this story and I hope you're not mad at me for choosing Lauren instead of Peyton or Brooke, although, you never really know…so that's my holiday chapter where everything has to be fine for this time of the year. I didn't want to let you guys with a dark image for the new year. I'm sorry if I'm not much around for my stories but at least I think I can deliver when I put up to it. I really wanna thank those who always take the time to review and I hope everyone who does and who doesn't enjoy your holiday time. I wish you all a happy new year to come and may your dreams come true. Thanks again and happy holidays. **

**PS. Tell me what you guys thought and what do you think should or would like to see happen!**


End file.
